Peter Thompson

For about five years, professionals across the anglophone Caribbean and Africa have had something their parents' generation could barely have imagined. Legitimate, well-paid remote work for firms in Toronto, New York, and London, performed from a home office in Bridgetown, Kingston, Accra, or Nairobi.

Five years ago, Remote Work (Barbados) Inc. began as a relocation consulting business. We helped Welcome Stamp visa holders navigate the practicalities of moving to Barbados; finding housing, opening bank accounts, understanding the school system. It was good work, necessary work. But somewhere along the way, we realized we were thinking too small. The Welcome Stamp program we helped create has brought thousands of remote workers to our shores. These aren't just tourists passing through;...

In mid 2020 Barbados launched the the world’s first visa for remote workers, the Barbados Welcome Stamp. Estonia followed suit about a month later, and then the floodgates opened; there are now over 50 countries around the world that offer some sort of visa for remote work visitors.