Canada Just Became the Latest Country to Launch a Digital Nomad Visa
Another country has announced a digital nomad visa for remote workers looking to switch things up, and U.S. applicants won’t even need to leave North America.
Canada just announced its own program, targeting STEM professionals in hopes of filling a national shortage. The country already offers a program that allows foreign residents to transition from a work visa to a work permit if they’re employed with a local company, and remote workers can stay in Canada for up to six months on a visitor visa alone.
Related: How To Move to Canada
Under the new digital nomad visa regulations, non-Canadian digital nomads can continue to live in the country while working for foreign companies or clients.
In a statement, the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shared that they hope to use this new visa scheme to fill labor shortages “that are persistent in key tech occupations” in hopes of “broadening Canada’s talent base.”
“We expect that some digital nomads who initially enter Canada to work remotely will decide to seek opportunities with Canadian employers,” the IRCC’s statement continued. “When they receive a job offer from a Canadian company, they would be able to bring their skills to a Canadian employer by applying for a temporary work permit or even permanent residence.”
Exact details about Canada’s digital nomad visa haven’t been nailed down just quite yet, but the government added that they hope to launch the program by the end of 2023 officially.
So if you’re ready to try out a life amongst our friends in the North, you can read more about (and keep up to date with) Canada’s digital nomad visa plans here.
Canada joins a growing list of more than 30 countries that have announced similar programs in hopes of drawing international remote workers, including Spain, Portugal, and Croatia.
Interested? In the meantime, you can test out whether you can afford to be a digital nomad with this online tool.