The news that Barbados intends to offer a residency permit to encourage persons who can work remotely to relocate to the island for a year gained incredible traction worldwide when it was announced a few weeks ago.
Now the government of Bermuda has seen fit to implement a similar policy of its own by amending the eligibility requirements for the territory’s existing residential certificate.
The Bermuda government is inviting foreign workers and students who, owing to the pandemic may be attending university and college courses online, to use the island as their live/work base for a year. The new policy was announced last Friday by Jason Hayward, the new labour minister during a virtual session of the House of Assembly and is already reportedly attracting interest from those in the technology industry. To be eligible for the programme persons must:
- be over the age of 18;
- have health insurance;
- (for remote workers) be employed by a legitimate overseas firm or be self-employed by a company registered and operating overseas and which does not operate in Bermuda or (for students) be enrolled in a research, undergraduate, graduate or doctorate programme;
- demonstrate sufficient means and/or continuous source of annual income without the need to engage in gainful employment in Bermuda; and
- demonstrate good character and not have conviction for an indictable offence.
The cost of the certificate will be $263 and the government hopes to launch the scheme during the first week of August 2020. In addition to the new residential certificate policy, the government intends to extend the length of time during which a visitor can remain on the island from a maximum of 90 days to 180 days.
