Cape Town recently ranked among the top cities for remote working as published by the global housing rental platform, Nestpick.

The Nestpick index ranks cities according to three broad categories:

1. Costs and Infrastructure – this category covers the costs with setting up a home working environment, including items such as the price and availability of sufficient home office space, and the speed and capacity of the internet.
2. Legislation and Freedoms – this category considered how easy it was to work remotely from the location, and included items such as whether the country provided a special visa for such persons and other regulatory and human rights aspects.
3. Livability – this category considered the aspects that make a city great to live in including items such as entertainment, weather and pollution.

Melbourne in Australia topped the rankings while Cape Town came in at number 16 in the world. Cape Town was ranked ahead of cities such as New York, Barcelona and Edinburgh. It scored well on items such as its low cost of living, great weather and the rights afforded to its citizens.

The Western Cape Government recently make submissions to the National Government to introduce a Remote Working Visa for South Africa. This visa would allow international travellers to stay longer and to work remotely whilst in South Africa.

It is considered that the Remote Working Visa would attract a longer stay tourist that can work remotely from anywhere in the world whilst earning and spending foreign currency in the country in which they are travelling.

The criteria for the granting of such a visa proposed by the Western Cape Government include the following:

• Proof of satisfying the minimum amount of income / savings
• Proof of accommodation / lease agreement for at least 12 months
• Proof that the applicant’s source of income is derived from outside South Africa
• Proof of travel and health insurance.

The introduction of a remote working visa will ensure that South Africa remains competitive against other global destinations in attracting digital nomads and remote workers. It will also boost a struggling tourism industry by generating significant economic opportunities.