How a lot is a digital nomad visa price to you? In South Korea, it is not going to solely require you to be an worker with a contract but in addition earn roughly the equal of USD 5,333 per 30 days. This excessive revenue requirement has doused the hearth of preliminary pleasure that many Koreaphiles felt for South Korea’s new F-1-D Workation Visa that launched in January. Within the first months of 2024, solely 31 folks have formally utilized.
A lot for “If you happen to construct it, they are going to come.” Why even construct it when you’re going to maintain the doorways locked? Japan, which simply launched its digital nomad visa program, additionally has strict revenue necessities, asking candidates to earn about $5,530 per 30 days. It’s too early to gauge how fashionable Japan’s program might be, although it might not be shocking to see comparable outcomes to its East Asian neighbor.
Because of decrease common incomes in different components of the world, the required month-to-month wage to use for a digital nomad visa is far decrease. Based on Freelancermap, in Finland, you solely must make 25% of the Korean necessities – $1,315 per 30 days. In Spain, you want roughly 2,500 per 30 days, and in flashy Dubai, you solely must make $3,500 per 30 days, all significantly cheaper than South Korea.
The excessive revenue necessities imposed by South Korea make one query the final word worth of leaping via the hoops to get a workation visa. If the F-1-D solely grants you one yr within the nation, with the choice to increase for 2, wouldn’t it be higher to remain for 3 90-day stints within the nation when you received’t obtain any questions for doing so? Positive, you may’t register a cellphone quantity or purchase tickets on-line with no resident card in South Korea, however is that basically price being required to work on an employment contract and preserve a sure wage to dwell there for the total yr?
The UK might have a greater resolution for attracting distant staff: make them really feel at house with solely a stamp of their passport. In December 2023, they up to date their immigration coverage. Vacationers to the UK can now work remotely, offered it’s not the principle cause for his or her go to. The distant work consists of taking enterprise calls, taking part in distant conferences, and electronic mail correspondence.
In the long run, South Korea might appeal to extra vacationer {dollars} by removing the workation visa altogether. Wouldn’t it be higher to increase the interval of keep to 6 months for guests and calm down the foundations round distant work? We’ll simply have to attend and see what the South Korean authorities decides after it analyzes the info.
For the freelancers working on-line who dream of dwelling there, the land of cosmetics, Ok-pop, and kimchi must wait…for now.
