New Zealand has officially relaxed its visa requirements to attract “digital nomads,” a move aimed at boosting tourism and stimulating economic growth.
Under this new initiative, visitors can engage in remote work for a foreign employer while holidaying in New Zealand for a maximum of 90 days. After this period, they may be required to pay resident taxes.
The government announced that the changes affect all visitor visas, encompassing tourists as well as individuals visiting family, partners, and guardians on longer-term visas. Additionally, it specified that only remote work conducted from abroad is permitted; visitors whose jobs necessitate their presence in the country must still secure the appropriate visas.
“The change will enable many visitors to extend their stays, which will lead to more money being spent in the country,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said.
“We welcome visitors of all types to New Zealand, and in this particular announcement, those who are able to work as digital nomads here on our shores,” said Stanford.
Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis expressed optimism that these changes to New Zealand’s visitor visa regulations would attract “highly skilled people with roles that connect them to powerhouse firms and industries globally.”
According to Willis, “These are jobs they hold offshore and that they’ll be able to stay connected to while in New Zealand,” emphasising that these remote workers “won’t be competing for Kiwi jobs.”.
“The government’s ambition is that these new visa rules will put New Zealand on the map as a welcoming haven for the world’s talent,” Willis said. “We want more of the world’s wealthy and super-talented people coming in those arrival gates.”
Pre-COVID, tourism was New Zealand’s largest export industry, contributing $40.9 billion to the country and supporting 8.4% or 229,566 people of the New Zealand workforce, Tourism New Zealand has revealed.
While the new visa regulations offer brighter days ahead for NZ, the arrival of digital nomads in certain areas has ignited controversy. In South Africa, critics argue that the surge of remote workers has resulted in rising living costs.
Similarly, countries like Spain and Greece have sparked intense protests due to the large flock of visitors.