Digital nomads, remote workers and virtual learners now have an opportunity to stay in Dominica for an extended period under a new visa offering.
The newly launched Work in Nature (WIN) Visa Programme by the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) allows tourists to relocate to Dominica for a period of up to 18 months to work remotely and live amongst the natural beauty of the island.
The programme, which offers attractive incentives, such as duty-free on selected items and discounts from various service providers targets individuals, families and businesses.
Aside from offering an attractive visa for remote workers, the initiative supports tourism stakeholders on the island that have been impacted by the pandemic.
At the launching of the initiative on March 19, 2021, at the Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Minister of Tourism, Denise Charles, highlighted the main importance of the programme as a booster to Dominica’s tourism industry in the island’s phased tourism recovery approach.
The Minister said, her government recognizes the significant contribution that tourism makes to the economy because of its far reaching domino effect and urged stakeholders to get on board with the programme so the entire country can realize success from the WIN initiative.
“Work in Nature presents you another opportunity to attract new residents to our country and have a significant economic impact. But in order for this programme to be truly successful everyone from the Immigration Officer, to the taxi drivers, cashiers or servers at restaurants have to play their part to make our friends feel welcome and part of the community.”
She added, “I need everyone to make our WIN residents feel like true winners for having selected to live in one of the safest and most natural havens in the world.”
Marketing Executive at DDA, Samantha Letang, said Dominica continues on it’s path of ensuring that the tourism industry in particular rebounds from the ongoing pandemic.
“As we know Dominica is well positioned to welcome individuals to our shores as part of this Work in Nature programme due to it’s impressive management of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Letang further noted, the fact that the country was recently awarded the Safe Travel Stamp, this reassures travelers that the destination protocols are endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control.
The Marketing Executive added that Dominica is the ideal place for the WIN program as there are several elements working in its favor.
“The WIN programme offers the opportunity for rejuvenation, it offers a chance for families to reconnect, it affords an enabling environment to play and of course to work right here in Dominica,” she said.
According to her, Dominica now not only has the opportunity for tapping into this new market but also to create lasting economic opportunities beyond tourism and to create that last connection now and into the future when persons work in Dominica.
Meantime, one of Dominica’s WIN residents, Paul Singh, Director of CS Global Partners, shared his “extraordinary” experience of working remotely from the island which he dubbed a “paradise.”
Singh stated that after a year of working during COVID-19 in Britain under a lockdown, his stay in Dominica has been life-changing as he is rejuvenated after having escaped a limited small space back in the UK.
Singh’s teenage daughter, Amrit, also shared her experience in Dominica whilst attending online school, and stated she doesn’t want to leave.
“I love nature; the air is so clean I feel free and safe; I really don’t want to leave,” said Amrit.
As the programme gains popularity, DDA envisions a WIN Village – a remote worker community with various types of accommodation from luxury to moderate, an array of support services, shared social and entertainment spaces, and co-working spaces.
Applications can be accessed online via www.windominica.gov.dm with a non-refundable application fee of $100.
Responses will be provided within 7 days and confirmed applicants will have a 3-month grace period to relocate to Dominica.
Families as well as individuals are encouraged to apply for the WIN visa with Dominica offering a family bundle programme that encourages children to attend school on the island or virtually.
Fees for the Visa are US$800.00 for individuals and US$1200.00 for families.
Dominica’s fastest Internet speed is as slow as an African snail.
Digicel and Flow need to up their game, as the speeds are akin to speeds found in the early 2000s in Europe and the USA.
I think the highest speed is 9mbps?
No fibre optic, just old fashioned asdl on that stagnant island.
It’s amazing to see people this negative about something that is going to be a boost for our country. We are seeking to get high skilled working people to come and stay and participate in our economy. Depending on where this goes this can have long lasting effects.
Yes we may have some issues with infrastructure but we are not as bad as some of you try to make it out to be. And just because you’ve stayed in some big city in another country you think that everything in the country is trash but try going out to the rural areas of some of those countries you will see the situation is sometimes worse than the rural areas in Dominica.
And what if this is a copy of what other countries are doing? How many of them have this low level of the virus compared to us? You’d be surprised the top priority for a lot of people now is safety and Dominica is in the top 20 right now for low risk countries.
Wasn’t the launch on March 19th? In the article it says February 19th.
ADMIN: Thanks for pointing that out it should be March. The correction has been made.
WaW
height of incompetence. Copycat!!!!
Barbados done it…antigua followed but…
we cannot be compared to any of them where infrastructure is concerned. We asking people to come to work “on line” in a country where internet connection is deplorable and very expensive. many areas of dominica area still without internet service or has poor cellular connectivity.
Yes Lazy Pipe-her. This is the height of BS!! Just bla bla bla from Mr Lazy in Chief. Wow Skerit only you know what pipe-her is offering to dominica tourism development/enhancement.
InI
Nevermind. here we go again. another page from the book of lazy Pipe-Her. copy and paste. After 15 years he is showing his true lazy colors. showing how incompetent he is. Showing all he care about is Festival budget. So he and his free BradH can fleece the people of Dominica. can bleed our treasury.
Now that he has all the powers. Head of Marketing, Head of HR, CEO and director of tourism, head of DFC, heads of product underdevelopment.
Only in dominica. a lazy incompetent man can be heading a industry for so long without being held accountable….poor us
In a similar vein, sixty years ago the Republic of Ireland launched an initiative to invite designers and craftsmen; not as tourists but as residents.
This resulted in the Kilkenny Design Workshops, a highly successful government funded research and development center that promoted excellence in design and craftmanship. Some of the world’s finest craftsmen and designers became artists in residence. The workshops served to promote an interest in the arts and to demonstrate how design and craftmanship can lead to economic success.
Stupse who have time to waste
A year after Barbados did theirs. Also where will they stay? Portsmouth in the abandoned student apartments? oh i forgot, some have been filled by Haitian immigrants. smh. We shall see how successful this bright innovative idea is. Keep in mind that professionals in the international world have much higher standards than us here. things like lack of ATM’s, lack of card machines, lack of food options and delivery services, banks not opening ast 2pm not openign on saturday mornings, lack of postal services and i could go on and on.
Tourism sector getting desperate
The idea is an excellent one however, there are some pertinent things that most be considered. We are asking people to come to our country to work remotely but is our internet infrastructure up to par for them to do so efficiently?
It is all well and good to come up with ideas but proper execution should be paramount.