Life as a digital nomad in Mauritius

one of the 12 countries mentioned here

Some jobs are easier to do online than others. In fact some jobs cannot be done online. If your job involves some form of physical contact then it is highly likely that you can’t do your job online. Examples include working as a nurse, a police officer, a cleaner, a soldier, a driver, a builder etc. If on the other hand your job is the type that involves giving instructions such as teaching, training or consultation then the chances are that you can work remotely. Mine is such a job. I am a Consultant Psychotherapist specialising in working with distressed children, young people, couples and families. The pandemic has exposed fault lines in people’s relationships which they may have coped with by being busy at work or socialising with other people including extended family members. By being forced to spend a lot of time together, some of the underlying problems have been brought to the surface and people have had to confront them. In my line of work there already exists telephone helplines for people feeling suicidal, worried about their health, struggling with debt, alcohol, drugs, gambling, domestic abuse etc. Offering online psychotherapy is an extension of what these helpline services already do. I have not needed to reinvent the wheel.
All I have needed is a room with some privacy, a reliable internet service and account with one of the online platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. There are other online platforms but to my knowledge these two are the ones that appear to have cornered the online market. I use both depending on who the client is. In the UK public services such as the NHS, the courts, schools and social services prefer Microsoft Teams. They say Microsoft Teams is more secure. I’m sure Zoom would dispute this claim but that is the current reality. I find Zoom easier to use and I can do more things with it than with Microsoft Teams.
I already have accommodation in Mauritius. My understanding of the law is that all my clients have to be abroad which has not been a problem for me as all of my clients are based in the UK. My clients pay fees into my UK bank account. For me the nomadic life has proved to be extremely attractive. I don’t feel like I would like to change this lifestyle post pandemic. Reminds me of the old adage that one should always put a crisis to good use or never let a crisis go to waste. The Covid crisis was here anyway so why not use it. Of course no one would create the Covid-19 circumstances in order to learn but as we had no control over these tragic and traumatic circumstances, we had to find ways to survive and even thrive.

Thank you for sharing, Exactly why our move to the island will work well for us.  I being the it nomad in the family and my daughter going to school there.  I presume you have no issues with the interet speed on the island and the costs?  Thanks  Natasha

I was able to go on with my online job of teaching English (as a highly qualified teacher) and French, my native language through Zoom, Skype and Whatspp. I never had any network problem. Of course some jobs can't be done online, such as baby-sitting, massage therapist and cleaner. Good luck.

Hello

I am in Mauritius and already live here.

Life is not as hectic as in other countries.

It is a safe country and you will see people wearing face masks n running to do vaccine shots for fear of threat of losing their jobs as a nurse or a teacher which is unfortunate for Mauritians.

There's always done kind of confusions about vaccine suddenly its for teenagers then elderly then workers.

Working remotely is now the norm. I wish even social workers at the hospital could work remotely but we had to be physically present here in Mauritius. in uk even outdoor visits could be done remotely through video call. here u have to drive yr car n go n check physically how the house conditions are like.
u get paid to drive yr car but u DNT get proper pc laptop printer scanner internet connection in any govt offices. u have to struggle for that. u DNT have any junior staffs working with you but u have to do magic and do all tasks at hand yrself or suffer disciplinary actions. that's the ministry of health. this is so shameful.

at the ministry of education u r a teacher u must at all costs have the shot done n walk with yr vaccine card in yr pocket with yr identity card. otherwise you can't do yr job. and if you ddnt get the vaccine done u r without a job. that's for public officers in Mauritius. best to have remote jobs online where u just stay here but you r employed abroad.

U want to have a vaccine shot done as a staff. u sit like everybody else n wait for yr turn but the doctor there doesn't even bother to explain about the 'consent form' for vaccine covid19. u r simply forced to sign it n have z shot done. yr life is not precious because u r just a statistic percentage.

Hello

The internet speed is good from myt Mauritius telecom n from Emtel too.

The private schools are open remotely online.

I DNT know much about private schools here but most Mauritian children take private tuitions to get good results.

Otherwise you will not be having big shopping malls like in European countries and Dubai.

it's kind of simple life.

one metro centre with metro stations which now doesn't attract too much attention.

new roads around the island.

nice sceneries. the beaches will be open for walking and swimming only.

get yr vaccine shots done.

best to stay is Curepipe (a town in Mauritius) if you like cold region or hot region near the sea like grand Baie n Riviere noire. it's simply wow or balanced like Quatre Bornes and rose hill (towns of Mauritius).

u r most welcomed here

Now it's opening up as 3rd phase of deconfinement n soon it will be different

Hello Good evening  madam  My is Joseph Efosa.
I want to relocate Mauritius,  am from Nigeria.  I need employment visa,  I will pay OR if I can see any company that can take,  as any domestic job,  cleaner... Etc.
Sir...  Please I need your assistance to get visa.  I registered to this group, because of this....  Here's my whatsapp number *** God bless you really good 
Joseph

Hello,

I am moving jobs within the same organization.  I am already working remotely because of covid.  The new job is in Kenya, but since the office is not yet open, I can work from anywhere.  I would like to move to Mauritius to work remotely.  I already have a plane ticket and quarantine reservation.

At the moment, I am planning to arrive as a tourist and just take some time off between jobs.  I have read about the Premium Visa and that I can apply for it while there.

I just have a few questions, I would apply for the Premium Visa straight away so I can work, but not sure I would have all the requirements handy.

One of the notes on the PV say that for trips of less than 6 months, you can use a tourist visa.  But then nowhere does it address the issue of working remotely on a tourist visa.  Right now I am not sure my trip would last 6 months or not.  I have bought a separate one-way flight out (arriving from one country and will go to work after Mauritius in another), but that booking is for around 2 months.  The plan is to change the date once I know when I can fly to the new job.

I have a few questions about the documentation etc, but the main question first is this.  Do I need to get a PV now or can I enter and work remotely on the TV?  The information on most sites about the PV is the same and I am not clear on this point:

"A Premium Visa is required for those who intend to stay in Mauritius for a period exceeding 180 days in a calendar year.

Those staying for less than 180 days, a tourist visa is granted on arrival to Mauritius"

Many thanks!!

Tourist Visa
- You can get tourist visa on arrival.
- But you can not do job on tourist visa. You can not do business on tourist visa.

Premium Visa
- For Premium Visa, you need to start your documentation before you enter Mauritius.
- On Premium visa, you can do job or business.

I have the same questions as considering moving there as soon as borders allow! Good luck!

Any job opportunity in this

How I can apply for working visa in Mauritius. Please help me.

For me as a retiree to be, it doesnt matter much. However, working remotely is the normal thing to do in Sweden now. During Mauritius summer 23 ill go to Mauritius on a recon trip & will bring lots of friends. I know some of them are considering moving abroad & keep their jobs in Sweden, so im hoping some of them will fall in lkove with Mauritius as i have, so theyll join me when relocating there. Might be the only positive thing _Covid 19 has brought (awareness about the possibilityto work remotely, both at employees & employers). So im expecting a new part of Port Louis soon , Swedetown:). Even though many of my friends arent oiginally from Sweden). A good thing that Mauritius offers good internet, which makes that possible. I even have two employer friends who are planning to run their companies in Sweden from Mauritius.