Tourism accounted for around 8 percent of the national G.D.P. for Estonia in 2019; and the Ministry of Internal Affairs expects at least a 50 percent reduction in tourism revenue in 2020 compared to 2019.
Georgia’s program, called “Remotely from Georgia,” allows workers to stay and work there for up to six months. Like Bermuda, Georgia currently does not require that applying workers show a monthly minimum income; applicants however need to make the case that they have sufficient means to support their lifestyles.
Diana Zhgenti, the Consul General of Georgia in New York, says that while there are no such financial restrictions for remote workers, the program is only available to citizens of 95 countries that are allowed to travel there visa-free. Long-term business workers will be required to quarantine for a period of 14 days upon arrival at their expense.
It may not be for everyone
Neville Mehra, hailing from Washington, D.C., left his last corporate job in 2017 and has since done remote digital strategy work through his company, Nampora. He currently lives and works in Valencia, Spain, though he has worked in more than 50 countries, including Georgia, and plans to return there with the new “Remotely from Georgia” program.
“Over time, freelance digital nomads have started to ask what’s the best quality of life, instead of ‘where are the jobs’?” he said. “This is not about moving to a country and taking a job away from a local, but about spending locally at a higher level with a stronger currency.”
But while working remotely may be attractive to those who are able do their work with a laptop and a zippy internet connection, it may not be as easy for all professionals.
Mr. Cassar also notes that living and working remotely in another country will carry some risks. “If I’m traveling across the country, even as a company employee, workers’ comp may not cover me,” he said. “If I am classified as an independent worker in the U.S., having that freelancer status of ‘LLC’ may not be recognized in other countries.”