The Pay-To-Live-In Visa Scheme: Truth or Fiction.
Are you looking for a country to move to as part of the next step in your career and life? Then the pay-to-live-in visa schemes currently trending may have caught your interest. Some countries are rumoured to offer financial assistance and other benefits, such as free healthcare, to bring in new residents. Why is this important? I know a lot of people are considering these moves as part of their career plans. If you are considering moving to any of these countries under these visa schemes, you should consider answering a few questions:
How do these incentives work?
Are they real?
How do I apply?
How long does it take?
My wife and others had pressed me for answers like these because I have lived in one of the cities (offering these schemes) and can provide some local knowledge. I am also knowledgeable about some of these parts of Europe to give some perspective to the discussion. Here's what I have found out so far.
One key question most people aren't answering is why some countries are willing to pay people to live in them. Why are they particular that those persons must live in those cities to enjoy the benefits of the program? Lastly, why are their citizens increasingly moving away from the same towns they are asking foreigners to come and live in?
I know what you are thinking: "If they give me a visa to live in these towns, I can move there briefly and then to the larger cities". I will answer this at the end.
Spain.
Spain is the first we will tackle among the countries offering this pay-to-live-in scheme. The Spanish government's programs appear to be focused on attracting new residents through the "remote work visa" that allows people to live and work in Spain while earning income outside the country.
Photo overlooking the Village of Ponga from a Hill.
Photo by Carmenmoran, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
However, it has been reported that it also has a package for those willing to relocate to these towns:
Ponga, Asturias
Griegos, Teruel
Rubiá, Orense
We will explore Ponga as an example of the Spanish version of the pay-to-live-in visa scheme.
Ruta do Val de Ponga (Photo by Roteiros Galegos)
Ponga is a small town in the community of Asturias in Spain. It is located in the Northernmost part of Spain, very close to the Gulf of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean. The town has a population of around 2,000; the main town is San Juan de Beleño. The closest major city to Ponga is Oviedo. The distance between Ponga and Oviedo is approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles). Oviedo is a large city with a population of over 220,000 people, and it is home to several universities, museums, and cultural attractions. Oviedo is also a central transportation hub, with a train station and an airport. Oviedo's economy relies heavily on mining (and you should know that all European cities based on mining are on the decline).
The economy of Ponga is based on agriculture, forestry, and tourism. The main agricultural products are potatoes, corn, and cattle. The forests in Ponga are home to various trees, including oak, pine, and beech. The tourism industry in Ponga is based on the area's natural beauty, including its mountains, rivers, and forests. Small businesses, including shops, restaurants, and bars, are also in the area.
The market opportunities in Ponga are limited. The primary market for agricultural products is the local market, and the primary tourism market is the national market. Very few small businesses in the area export their products, and most of their sales rely on the local population and sales to the bigger cities. There's one major road in the town to come in or leave.
If you want to move to Ponga, you should be prepared to live a simple life. The area is beautiful, but it is also remote, and there are limited job opportunities. Ponga may be a good option if you want a quiet place to retire or raise a family. However, if you are looking for a place with many job opportunities and a vibrant social scene, there are better places than Ponga.
This visa scheme may be linked to the remote work visa. People on the remote work visa can move to Ponga and enjoy the added benefits there, and I doubt it works for anyone who doesn't have a remote job that permits them to work from anywhere in the world. Even with a remote job, you must be pretty comfortable living in a village to survive here. Both Griegos and Rubiá are equally small towns that few people would like to call home if they don't love country life.
Italy.
Presicce-Acquarica is a town in southern Italy. Presicce-Acquarica offers grants of up to 30,000 euros to new residents, but it comes with a few clauses.
Here are some additional details about the grant:
The grant is available to individuals and families buying property in Presicce-Acquarica.
The property must be pre-1991 and the new resident's primary residence.
The grant is worth up to €30,000.
The grant is paid out in instalments over five years.
If you are interested in applying for the grant, you can find more information on the website of the municipality of Presicce-Acquarica. Most of these pre-1991 homes have been abandoned by people who left the town searching for greener pastures and may require some (a lot) work to make them habitable. Even at an average price of 25,000 euros (the average cost of these properties), why would you want to move there if you aren't deeply driven to leave the city life behind and find a place away from commercial life to call home? If you know anything about abandoned houses, you know they deteriorate very fast when there's no one to keep them warm.
Greece.
Antikythera Island is said to be offering about 600 euros for those willing to relocate there. Although many websites speak about this offering, I could not find any information on the city government's website to support this claim.
First, https://www.kythira.info/en/antikythira/, an important website providing information on Antikythera's history and culture, has categorically stated that this offer is a lie and non-existent. Checking on the government website https://visitkythera.com/, you see that nothing is mentioned on the sort. It may have existed at some point, but there's no information on it right now. I don't know what to say about this other than do your research and let me know if you find anything concrete to support the claim.
Ireland, Chile, New Zealand and Others.
Ireland only offers incentives for start-ups willing to move there and live there. That said, their offer of 1200 euros is pretty tiny to be compelling enough for a serious start-up founder to move there.
At the time of writing this, the government website offering information on this doesn't open (https://www.supportingsmes.ie/BusinessDetails.aspx). However, you can use https://www.startinireland.com/ to review other options where you work with partner agencies and companies to move to Ireland and grow your start-up business.
A more impressive offer might be from the government of Chile in South America, offering support for start-ups willing to move there. Unlike the offers from Europe, they don't get as must attention.
Another related but distant option is Kaitangata (in New Zealand). Their offer is the most distant of them all (you know New Zealand is far), and Kaitangata is pretty remote in the country.
Sark in Bailiwick of Guernsey looks like the best option because it is considered part of the United Kingdom, but there are things to note. You will need to have a work visa to work in the UK even though you are a resident of Guernsey. Why? Because Guernsey is not part of the UK but a British Crown Dependency in the United Kingdom. As a result, individuals who are residents of Guernsey and are not citizens of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland do not enjoy any default rights to work in the UK. However, unlike what has been said on many websites, there isn't any financial incentive for those willing to move here. To enjoy residency, you will need to invest a significant amount of money. This is very similar to the offers from the government in Portugal.
Figuring it Out There.
I mentioned that I would address the option of going to these cities and then leaving for the bigger cities to look for work. While this can work, it is a risk you should only be willing to take, knowing that by moving away from the city (village) you agreed to as part of your visa, you have voided the terms of your visa. The other thing to notice is that most of these visa options don't allow you to work in those countries, only to reside. None of these countries could pass this legislation through parliament if they were any threat to local jobs. Even if you challenge any restrictions placed on your residency in court, this might take significant time and resources.
Be wise as you choose.
