With trendy cities, a popular food scene, beautiful landscapes and plenty of great skiing, it’s easy to see why Canada is such a popular travel destination for travelers from all over the world.
However, lately Canada has been gaining in popularity for another reason. It’s turning out to be quite the hangout for digital nomads.
No Need For a Work Visa
Countries around the world are launching digital nomad visas to attract travelers to choose their country for their remote work hub. But onerous applications, rules and fees give digital nomads an incentive to shop around for the most accommodating deal.
According to a published article about the digital nomad experience in Canada, one of the great benefits of working remote from Canada is the lack of a need to obtain any type of visa in order to be a digital nomad in the country.
An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officer also mentioned in the article that digital nomads can stay up to six months at a time.
“Choose this option if you work for an employer outside of Canada, can do your job remotely, and want to experience Canada,” said the official cited in the article.
United States citizens are even exempt from the Electronic Travel Authorization requirement as of April 26, 2022.
“We expect that some digital nomads who initially enter Canada to work remotely will decide to seek opportunities with Canadian employers,” said Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Minister Sean Fraser in the article.
Permanent Residency in Canada
For digital nomads seeking to set up a more permanent hub in Canada, the country offers even better opportunities for those wanting to create a start-up business in the country.
Entrepreneurs only need to secure a spot in a business incubator program or secure an investment from an angel group or venture fund in order to secure a work permit for the country.
The program, known as the Start Up Visa (SUV) system, is also rapidly growing in popularity and attracting entrepreneurs and digital nomads to the country.
According to officials, that sets up the digital nomad entrepreneur with a path to permanent residency in about three years, according to the latest information. Of course, that timeline and the rules are subject to change in the future.
More information about this accelerated path to permanent residency in Canada can be conveniently found at this link.
What Digital Nomads Need to Know
When most digital nomads think about popular places for remote work opportunities, often places like Asia, Central America, South America and even Eastern Europe instantly come to mind.
However, many digital nomads, especially those from the United States, may want to consider Canada in their remote working plans.
The facts are that Canada not only has an amazing lifestyle opportunity for nomads, but the country also makes it very convenient with a lack of visa and work permit requirements along with the fact that the country is English speaking.
What digital nomads do need to know however is that many parts of Canada are very expensive to live in, especially from a housing perspective.
Even with the fact that the United States dollar is worth about $1.30 in Canadian dollars, the favorable currency exchange valuation quickly disappears with the higher cost of living.
Despite this, the natural beauty and great local cultures may just make it a great place for remote working for the six month time period allowed with only a passport and no additional paperwork for United States citizens.