Iceland Is Launching a Long-Term Visa for Remote Workers

The ultimate goal is that long-term tourists will be able to stimulate the economy, and ideally these would be people who aren’t just scraping by staying at hostels. Iceland wants tourists to spend money at restaurants, take weekend trips around the country, and book Airbnbs or high-end hotels. That requires tourists with some extra cash, especially since the cost of living in Iceland is so high.

Former parliament member Asta Gudrun Helgadottir told Bloomberg, “I think the idea is to attract high-earning professionals from Silicon Valley or San Francisco to spend their money here, instead of there.”

It’s unclear when, exactly, this visa program will go into effect. The Work in Iceland website states that “more information will follow soon.”