Article
4 min read
Digital Nomads: Who They Are and Why Your Business Needs Them
Immigration
Employer of record
Author
Orlagh Mailey
Last Update
April 18, 2025
Published
February 14, 2025
Key takeaways
- With over 41 digital nomad visas available, businesses can tap into global talent, enhance workforce flexibility, and expand internationally while employees gain lifestyle benefits and career growth opportunities.
- Businesses benefit from improved employee satisfaction, better global time zone coverage, and potential cost savings while gaining first-hand insights into emerging markets.
- As digital nomad visas expire, companies can use EOR solutions like Deel to legally employ remote workers abroad without setting up local entities, ensuring compliance and seamless workforce management.
Digital nomad visas allow digital nomads — location-independent individuals (how lucky!) who use technology to perform their jobs remotely - to live and work in a foreign country for longer than a normal tourist visa.
Today, over 42 digital nomad visas are available worldwide. This is a game-changer for talent wanting to enjoy better weather and a higher quality of life. It’s also great for businesses looking to boost workforce flexibility, attract top talent, and grow their global reach.
The rise in digital nomad visas signals a huge shift in how workers, businesses, and the global economy function. Workers are empowered to create their dream lifestyle, companies can tap into a more connected and agile workforce, and countries are reaping the benefits of this growing trend in location-independent talent.
Why businesses should support digital nomad visas
Digital nomad visas often prohibit activities like local client solicitation or direct sales; however, workers and their employers/clients can still enjoy many other benefits.
Workers stationed abroad can provide first-hand insights into emerging markets, enhance time zone coverage for global operations, and even reduce labor costs in regions with lower living expenses. They also come armed with travel stories to the weekly all hands, turning team meetings into a mix of strategy, decision making, and ‘you won’t believe what happened in Bali’.
See also: How Digital Nomads Catalyze Company Growth
In addition, Deel data shows that a growing number of professionals are considering taking advantage of working abroad, which highlights the importance of flexibility and mobility for workers today.
To attract and retain top talent in today’s competitive job market, companies must adapt to worker preferences. A 2025 study by Cătălina Mărcuță and the MoldStud Research Team found that flexibility in location and hours is the most critical factor for job satisfaction, with 80% of respondents prioritizing it.
Moreover, around 80% of Shopify developers perform better when working outside traditional office environments, and approximately 60% prefer flexible hours that match their peak productivity times.
This demonstrates that flexibility is essential for job satisfaction and that companies recognizing this need often experience higher retention rates.
See also: The Power of Workations and Digital Nomad Visas for Team Engagement
Crucially, the benefits of global hiring go beyond addressing the skills shortage; businesses can expand strategically into key regions and offer unparalleled flexibility to employees who value the ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle.
—Shannon Karaka,
Country Leader, AUNZ
How to ensure digital nomad success
Navigating worker relocations through digital nomad visas involves several key steps to ensure a seamless transition for all.
Firstly, creating a company culture that embraces location flexibility and offers solid relocation benefits is essential for success.
Next, companies need to be ready to handle relocations for both current employees and new hires, as each has its own set of considerations. Remember to include independent contractors in your relocation plans since they make up a big part of the mobile workforce.
Lastly, you need to decide how to support these worker relocations. Many countries offering digital nomad visas require employers to complete the necessary documentation for the government to ensure the worker’s compliant relocation. With a combination of complex requirements and lengthy administrative tasks, HR departments can find it overwhelming to do this for their workforce.
Choosing the appropriate support is key, which is why a people platform like Deel with built-in visa support can streamline the relocation process for all parties.
See also: Free Digital Nomad Policy Template
A platform like Deel […] can smooth out the process, remove the friction, allow companies [...] to get the talent they need, both here and in other countries. It allows people in different locations to coordinate and do the work that we need to do.
—Zeke Hernandez,
Professor, Wharton School of Business
Transitioning to more permanent relocation arrangements
The duration of digital nomad visas differs from country to country, and usually, this ranges from six months to two years, with some allowing for renewal. As your talents’ nomad visa approaches its expiration, what options do you have if they wish to remain in the country but your organization doesn’t have a local entity there?
Use Employer of Record (EOR) visa sponsorship. With EOR-sponsored visas, the EOR becomes the legal employer for your foreign hires through its local entities around the world. It takes charge of tasks like payroll and benefits and ensures compliance with local employment regulations.
Unlike sponsorship organizations or immigration and visa services, EOR sponsors like Deel offer a streamlined, hands-off visa procurement process and enhanced transparency and protection for employers and employees alike.
The best solution was to find an Employer of Record to help us bring all of that amazing talent to the company without opening an entity in those countries.
—Valeria Rosati,
HR Operations Lead, Taktile
Watch: Streamline international hiring with EOR visa sponsorship
Grow your digital nomad workforce with Deel Immigration
The future of business expansion lies in strategically employing nomadic workers. Embracing these individuals as a core part of your business strategy can enable you to break into new markets, deliver, and achieve global success.
Want to achieve global success and keep your customers happy? Deel's global HR platform has everything you need to manage a global team without the headache—think built-in visa support, global hiring, payroll, and compliance, all wrapped up in an easy-to-use platform.
Sound like the perfect solution? Book 30 minutes with a product expert to get your questions answered.
About the author
Orlagh Mailey is the Associate Director of Global Mobility at Deel. Orlagh has over ten years of industry experience and a background in law and project management. She provides immigration knowledge, strategic guidance, and operational support to business leaders, HR, and external partners.
