Kathmandu. The way we work has changed a lot in recent years. Companies in different sectors have already started giving the option of working in flexible ways rather than working from 10 to 5 pm.
However, it has not been long since such a practice began to be adopted globally. During the COVID-19 pandemic that spread around the world in 2020, it was not possible to reach the office and work. At that time, employees of various private companies, from the government, worked from home using digital technology.
Then the ‘work from home’ culture started. Employees in the field of information technology and other sectors were forced to reach the office and work. As a result, people spent a long time in different countries of the world observing the panoramic views there.
In order to attract such people to their country, various countries have implemented remote worker and digital nomad visa. The Commission has suggested the government to attract remote workers and digital nomads to create more economic opportunities in Nepal as well.
On the basis of the same suggestion, the government of Nepal in its budget statement for the current fiscal year 2082/83 BS has also stated that digital nomad visa will be provided to those who work remotely for foreign companies living in Nepal.
remote work
If employees work at home or other places without going to the office, then such work is remote work. According to the report of the High Level Economic Suggestion Commission, most of the consultancy and IT sector employees are involved in this kind of work. In remote work, there is no mandatory provision to reach the office and work. Although there is no physical presence, they are connected to each other virtually. Their employers are in one part of the world. Remote workers work for their employers wherever they want to.
Digital Nomad i.e. Nomad
The term came into existence in 1997 after the publication of the book ‘Digital Nomads’ by Tsujio Macrimoti and David Manners. The book states that technological changes are enabling people to work wherever they live, so that people will return to the nomadic era.
As stated in the book, digital nomads are working in different places. But they are not regular employees of a particular company. They may be working for more than one company at the same time. Or they may be running their own internet-based business.
They are lured by cheap and delightful places to visit, good internet to work, easy international movement and security. According to a study conducted by the International Labor Organization, about 18 percent of workers worldwide are engaged in a profession that can be done from home.
These workers live in countries where they can easily work from home. In North American countries, 30 percent of such workers are estimated to have reached, while in the European Union, 37 percent of the work is estimated to be done from home. Moreover, most of the digital nomads are young.
According to the report, young people between the ages of 30 and 39 are involved in remote work, so they are expensive in nature. In Nepal, delightful places, favourable weather and relatively affordable living expenses can attract digital nomads.
What is the arrangement for digital nomads and remote workers in Nepal?
So far, there is no provision of any specific type of visa in Nepal to work in a foreign company. Business visa is given to those who want to stay in Nepal for a short period of time for business purposes. Apart from this, the person coming to visit gets a tourist visa. According to this, tourists can enter Nepal once and stay in Nepal for 90 days.
Whether it is a restaurant in Lakeside of Pokhara or cafes in Baluwatar, Maharajgunj, Sanepa of Kathmandu, foreign tourists working with laptops can be seen there. But they are tourists who came to Nepal on tourist visa.
According to the current visa rules, they are not allowed to stay in Nepal for a long time. In such a situation, after the expiry of the period of stay in Nepal, they go to India and proceed with the process of coming back to Nepal. But now they should be provided visas so that they can stay in Nepal easily, said Rameshwor Prasad Khanal, chairman of the High-Level Economic Suggestion Commission and former Finance Secretary.
He says, “Some people would like to go to Rara Lake in Mugu and work. At this time, it should not be allowed to stay only for a short time. Khanal said that there is a practice of issuing five-year visas to digital nomads and remote workers worldwide.
There is a five-year visit visa in the US. But you can’t stay for five years at a time. The five-year visa allows you to stay for six months when you first go. After that, you can go to the US for a certain period of time several times over a period of five years.
Similarly, digital nomads coming to Nepal have been advised to make arrangements so that they cannot stay for five years at a time, even though they were initially granted a five-year visa. “After five years of continuous living, it is not known whether they have the purpose of traveling or working or any other purpose. Therefore, arrangements should be made to stay for one year for the first time,” khanal, a former finance secretary, said.
Labour Act needs to be amended
Nepal’s Labour Act does not classify people working from home as workers. Section 11 of the Act states that employment should not be employed without entering into an agreement. Similarly, section 10 of the Act mentions the types of employment.
There are five types of employment: regular employment, work employment, timely employment, casual employment, partial employment. Khanal said that the legal provision would create a legal hurdle for the remote workers to work in Nepal.
“Digital nomads work as employees of anyone. He is an entrepreneur himself. Although remote workers work in different places, their employer is in any other country in the world and their relationship is managed by one agreement. He said that such remote work should also be included in the Labor Act as employment. He said that although there is no need to change the act for digital travelers, the type of visa can be changed.
The Ministry of Home Affairs should work for the visa process. The Ministry of Labour has to start working to bring changes in the Act for remote workers. He said that he was well informed to the Finance Ministry about the benefits of Digital Nomad to the country. He said that other ministries should also be properly informed about digital nomads.
The government should take initiative to create a better working space.
Remote workers and digital nomads live in Nepal and work for other countries and are mostly involved in the IT sector, so they also need a good internet connection. Former Finance Secretary Khanal said that there is a need to provide good internet facilities from physical facilities to attract them to Nepal. “If there is no good internet connectivity, they will not be able to work. Even if they work around, they should be able to arrange good working space to work. ”
He said that attention should be paid to the working culture of Kathmandu, Bharatpur, Pokhara and Lumbini regions as they could be conducive to remote work and digital nomadic. “Attention should also be paid to the development of good internet network, well-equipped co-working workplaces and other physical infrastructure,” he added. ”
Cafes, including Himalayan Java, have four or five table chairs called co-working spaces. Restaurants on the side of Baluwatar and Durbar Marg have made arrangements to rent an entire room for work for a month for some time. However, the private sector alone will not be able to create such working spaces, he said. He said that the government agencies should also pay attention to make a well-equipped co-working space.
Remote workers want to stay in Nepal for a year or longer, so they prefer to live with their own flats. “Therefore, arrangements should also be made to sell flats in Nepal for digital nomads,” he said. They can also employ people who work for the house and make food while living with the flat. He said that more people will get employment as they can buy vehicles and use them and also hire drivers.
Similarly, the government should pay attention to their safety while staying in Nepal and working for a long time. Arrangements should also be made for remote workers to participate in the social security fund, he said.
Remote workers also benefit non-resident Nepalis
Bringing foreigners to Nepal in the form of NOMAD will not only help in economic reforms but also in many other things. This creates an environment for remote workers working in foreign companies to travel to Nepal.
Nepal has skilled manpower in various sectors, including the IT sector. However, due to the current legal system, they are finding it difficult to stay in Nepal and work in foreign companies and get their salaries paid. If there is a law for remote workers, they will be able to work easily for foreign companies by staying in Nepal.
Khanal, a former finance secretary, said that this will also pave the way for non-resident Nepali citizens (NRNs) who want to return to Nepal. “This will help nepalis living abroad permanently to return to Nepal. Although they are permanently living abroad, there is a lot of love for Nepal. There are also many NRNs in Nepal with their parents. But there is no job here that gets thousands of dollars a month and they cannot leave the job there,” he says.
Stating that non-resident Nepalis can return to Nepal and work if remote workers are allowed to enter Nepal, he said, “They can come to Nepal and work with their families even if they have jobs in the US and Australia.” ”
‘Digital nomads are skilled human resources in themselves’
Digital nomads and remote workers are very skilled at their work. They earn well and spend freely. Therefore, the government has been advised to set a condition for the digital nomads coming to Nepal to earn $ 2,500 (more than Rs 342,000) per month.
Other countries in the world also set a monthly income of at least $2,000 to $3,000 for digital nodemads. People with this level of income can spend in Nepal.
Khanal said, “They have the ability to do business worth millions of dollars by staying in their own homes. While staying in Nepal for a long time, he also associates with two or four Nepalis. Nepalis can also learn something from them. Seeing them inspires them that they can work in this way. ”
He said that digital nomad should show a source of up to $ 50,000 to provide such a visa only to people with good sources of income. Similarly, if highly qualified people come and work in Nepal, it will also help to become an ecosystem for the business, he said.
Giving examples of digital wanderers and remote workers indirectly contributing a lot, he said, “If a foreigner comes to Nepal and works in the software while staying in Pokhara, sometimes his laptop can be damaged.” At this time, he can go to any shop in Nepal and make a laptop. ”
Nomad visas in Sri Lanka from 2021
Countries around the world have already formulated visa policies for digital migrants and remote workers. Such a system has been adopted not only in Europe, America, but also in Asia. Nomad visa has also come into operation in South Asia.
Sri Lanka started issuing nomad visas in 2021. Facilities have been provided to buy a flat there.Similarly, in the Indian state of Goa, arrangements have been made recently to allow remote workers to stay there through business e-visa or tourist e-visa. Other Asian countries like Thailand, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan etc. have also been issuing visas for remote workers and digital nomads.
