The world is changing.

The days of having to have a job where you either worked for an employer or customers who are in your local vicinity are long gone.

Thanks to recent developments in technology the world of work has opened up to allow people to work from anywhere in the world, for customers from all over the world.

Self-employed freelancers are no longer working from an office in their home town; they are working from their homes… which can be anywhere in the world.

Even some employees can work from home remotely. We currently have a staff member who is living in Portugal. Everything that he does is done online.

We communicate via email or phone, and the work he does is delivered via email or added directly to websites and social media profiles that he is able to access from where he is.

Again, because of advancements in technology, freelancers and remote workers now have the freedom to travel and earn a living. They no longer need to stay in the one place.

The day of the digital nomad is here.

More and more countries are creating visas specifically for digital nomads. The idea that a person can come to their country already earning a wage which they will spend in their country is incredibly appealing.

Governments are concerned about the people they let in being a drain on their economy and resources. With freelancers and remote workers, that fear is lessened due to the fact that they are already earning and are self sufficient.

I know for a fact that Andi, our guy in Portugal, has put thousands into the Portuguese economy already and has taken nothing out of it.

An economic migrant is no longer someone who goes to another country looking for work to earn money, it now also means someone who goes to a country and puts it into the economy.

Unlike the 1980s when British builders popped over to Germany during the recession to earn money to send back to family in the UK as seen in the popular television show, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, migrant workers can now come into a country and bring money with them which they spend in the local community.

Each country is different with their requirements, for example Romania’s one year digital nomad visa income requirement is €3,950 (£3,397) per month.

Iceland’s visa is for only six months and they expect a monthly income of €7,075 (£6,084).

Greece has a one year visa with the possibility to extend to a residency permit. Their income requirements are €3,500 (£3,010) per month.

Malta has a yearlong visa with a €2,700 (£2,322) monthly income requirement.

Hungary also has a one year visa with their income requirements set at €2,000 (£1,720) per month.

Portugal is also creating its own yearlong digital visa.

Andi was able to get there using a D7 visa which was originally set up for people earning a ‘passive income’ even though he is actively earning an income.

That shows that Portugal is becoming more flexible and happy to take in remote workers, although, the D7 lasts only for three months, Andi and his good lady are required to have a meeting to be granted residency when the three months are over.

Originally they wanted to go to Spain but at the time the Spanish government would only allow EU citizens living in Spain to work for non Spanish companies.

Non EU citizens have to work for a Spanish company if they want to be a remote worker living in Spain which means that with Andi being British working for us, a British company, he couldn’t go there.

But that’s about to change.

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