Managing Visa and Immigration Processes

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In the latest episode of The Remote Life Podcast, we sit down with Skerdi, Vice President of Demand Generation at Native Teams: a Global payment solution for freelancers, remote workers, and international businesses. We discuss the evolution of remote work, the digital nomad lifestyle, and the initiatives shaping the future of work. Skerdi shares insights from his personal journey and his role at Native Teams, a company revolutionizing the freelance and remote work landscape.*

Han: Let's kick things off. Tell us about you and your remote life journey so far.

Skerdi: I've been a remote worker for the past five years. Currently, I'm working at a company called Native Teams, I also live a digital nomad lifestyle, and I'm with the Digital Nomad Association of Albania. It has been quite the journey, to be honest.

When I first discovered remote work, it was a weird concept in Albania. We only discovered remote work after the pandemic. Before that, I seriously doubt there was any company applying it as a model. But then the pandemic came, and everyone had to work from home because of the quarantine. That's when I thought to myself, "Why don't you work for an international company for maybe a better salary?" Because Albania is not a very rich country, so the salaries here weren't as lucrative as you might think. Since then, I've embraced the remote work movement. I've been a part of it, a fan of it, and I'm trying to enable as many people as possible to get into the movement.

Han: Honestly, Albania has found a special place in my heart for remote working. It's still so underrated as a country, I think. As far as initiatives go, people are quite on it with the needs of remote professionals and workers. And let's not forget the amazing destinations you have to choose from in Albania. Do you want to talk a little bit more about that?

Skerdi: Definitely. Albania has emerged not only as a destination for tourism but also as a key destination for digital nomads worldwide. The reasons are simple:

1. Fantastic nature: Albania offers a perfect mixture of mountains, seaside, and fields. Everything is beautiful and close to one another, allowing you to experience different landscapes within a short drive.

2. Cultural mix: Due to its history, Albania has a unique blend of Italian, Greek, and Turkish influences, which is reflected in our food as well.

3. Hospitality: Albania has core values nurtured into family and hospitality, which digital nomads appreciate. They want to feel welcome and taken care of, and they value the help locals provide in discovering the country.

As for remote work, it started with BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) companies seeing Albania as a potential market for developing different skills and positions. After the pandemic, more global companies are coming because the talent is here. They're adding Albania to their recruitment map.

Han: I think hospitality is such a huge part of it and how it's done properly. The events that you've put on with Native Teams have been amazing for bringing the community together, bringing government officials together, bringing locals together. I personally think you've done an amazing job with all of that. Do you want to tell us a little more about Native Teams and how this all ties in together?

Skerdi: Thank you very much for the kind words. We try to do a lot, but without the support of like-minded individuals like yourself and all of our colleagues and collaborators, this wouldn't be possible.

As for Native Teams, when I started working there, I was fascinated by the brand, the mission, and the vision of the company. Native Teams is revolutionizing the freelance world and the employment world by being a very innovative payment provider for freelancers. We offer employer of record solutions for employers who want to hire people internationally while remaining compliant.

We're giving individuals the freedom to choose their employment setup, maximizing earnings while being compliant. This is something that is underrated nowadays because freelancers worldwide are working for themselves but not getting all the benefits they could. Native Teams facilitates all these processes for freelancers and remote workers, enabling them to focus on their work and creativity while we take care of everything else.

Han: That's really awesome because I feel it's one of those things that people don't necessarily know about or realize they've got to be aware of. There are always little hidden details that people don't think about when they want to be a freelancer or a digital nomad or a remote worker. Is there anything else you think people don't necessarily know or maybe there's a hidden thing that people don't think about when it comes to general logistics for longer-term travel?

Skerdi: Some people want to stay more, they want to become "slomads." They want to nomad, but they want to stay maybe a year, or they want to move their fiscal residency to a country they feel connected to. This is where they need to think about migration perspectives, having a mobility service, obtaining a visa for a country, residing fiscally in a country, and then keep moving the way they should.

A lot of people are thinking of moving their fiscal residency to a specific country they have found an affiliation with. To do that, they will definitely need some sort of visa sponsorship, which is not always easy to get. The first solution for nomads is usually the digital nomad visa, which is fairly easy to obtain in most countries where it's available. However, all digital nomad visas have limitations in terms of timeline and some have double taxation issues, which are things that nomads should always consider, especially for long-term stays.

There are service providers, like Native Teams, that offer mobility and visa sponsorships. So a nomad can fully move their fiscal residency to a country of their choosing. I believe this opens a new world for digital nomads, both from a sense of being part of a country and making good decisions from a fiscal perspective in terms of optimizing taxes.

Han: You've brought up a question for me that I feel like you probably have a bit of a laugh about over the last couple of years. I feel like the term "digital nomad" has got very confused and molded into something that maybe it's not. Someone was saying to me the other day that they actually think the digital nomad visa is not necessarily intended for a digital nomad, but more for a remote worker. What, for you, is the difference between a digital nomad and a remote professional?

Skerdi: When it comes to this, I divide it because there are some short-term stays that I would say are more touristic rather than nomadism. So you go and jump from country to country, basically going to the best bars, eating, drinking, partying hard. That's more like a touristic activity the way I see it.

Right now, what's happening is that you have multiple people who are traveling a lot because they have remote work. They can afford to travel, so they're traveling a lot, but they're doing very short-term stays. They can be considered digital nomads, but in my book, they're not.

For me, a digital nomad is an individual who not only goes to the country, discovers it, and experiences it, but also provides value and shares know-how with the local community. They get something from the local community and give something back. It's not just about money. A digital nomad arrives, provides value, gets value, nurtures, and leaves a sign or an impact on a country. Then they leave and go to another country, creating small roots which they can find as they move around the world.

Then you have "slomads" who stay a little bit longer in countries because that's the pace of their life. And then you have remote workers who are just trying to move to a country.

Han: I'd be curious to know if there are any other tips and tricks that you have for remote professionals about managing your lifestyle. I think people forget that travel itself, whether you're based somewhere or not, is stressful on your body. Is there anything that you've picked up over the years as a remote professional that you would recommend for people, whether that's an item you have or a routine?

Skerdi: I had my period of very frequent traveling, and I realized it was a bit too much. You would get sick very often, you wouldn't be able to fully see and embrace the city, the locals, and the country you were visiting. So I started taking things slowly.

My tips and tricks would be:

1. Give yourself time to immerse in a new place and then to transition out of it.

2. Make sure you take your vitamins, especially if you're very active.

3. Have a strong mind and detach yourself from things that cause anxiety, like feeling you have to travel just because you're a nomad.

4. Don't force yourself to move just because you're a nomad. If you feel like staying somewhere, stay there. Move when you genuinely want to visit someplace else.

Han: That's the thing, I feel like there needs to be more conversation around picking places that you actually want to go to as well. I'm curious, are there any destinations that you've extended in or want to go back to as a remote professional?

Skerdi: I haven't been nomading in Lisbon, but I've briefly visited for work-related tasks and events. I really fell in love with the city, the culture, and the beauty there. I'm contemplating making it a future destination where I spend a lot of time.

Fortunately for me, and for everyone who chooses to work with Native Teams and use our services, you can make a move like that through our mobility service. You can go and spend a lot of time, even a couple of years, depending on the visa you choose through Native Teams.

I'm also trying to see countries that we have no cultural correlation with here in Albania. For example, countries like Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, or Armenia, which are places where everything would be kind of new for me. And then there's Asia, but I believe that's for a different part of my life, when I'm maybe richer.

Han: Do you think we can maybe expect some more Native Teams events in some of these countries too?

Skerdi: Definitely. Native Teams is a contributor to the remote movement and the digital nomad movement. We are firm believers that these movements are empowering individuals and making the world a better place. That's why we're creating these events.

We're doing the "Future is Remote" talks. Currently, we've done them in 12 locations in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, but we're planning them in Western Europe as well. We'll have a "Future is Remote" event during the Web Summit week in Lisbon. It will be a networking event where we'll discuss remote work and how we can facilitate everything for remote workers worldwide.

We're also having an event in Barcelona in September with Palma Co-living, where we'll speak about digital nomadism, fiscal residency, and related topics. We're trying to give back a lot to the remote community as a company, and I'm very proud of this work because it helps people grow on a daily basis.

Han: That all sounds really exciting, and as I said before, I think you guys are really carving your own path in this industry right now. It's really intriguing to follow what you've been up to, and obviously, you've been a really great core part of that, Skerdi, so congrats, and I'm excited to see what you guys do next. To wrap things up though, fill in the blank: home is where...

Skerdi: Home is where your loved ones are, and where your heart is. As long as you have people who love you, who cherish you, and that you have people who you love and cherish, that's where home is. Home is not a brick, it's not a place, it's not a beach – it's people and your being. So your home can be anywhere as long as you are with people who you love and who love you.

Han: Love it. Oh, amazing. Skerdi, thank you so much for joining me on The Remote Life. It's been amazing to chat, as always.

Skerdi: Thank you very much, Han, for having me. To close, I'd like to extend to all friends of this podcast a discount on Native Team services. If they're freelancers and they want to invoice clients, we have our invoicing and payment solution. If they're company owners and they want to hire people internationally, we have our employer of record solutions. And if they're a digital nomad or remote worker trying to find a more permanent placement, we have our mobility service. We also have our Native Company service for opening a UK company. So we offer a plethora of services, which they all can get at a discount, thanks to you, Han, for making this happen.

In this insightful conversation, Skerdi shared his journey from discovering remote work in Albania to becoming a digital nomad and a key player in the remote work movement. His experiences and insights shed light on the evolving landscape of digital nomadism, the importance of cultural immersion, and the need for supportive services in this new era of work. As companies like Native Teams continue to innovate and support the remote work ecosystem, the future of work looks increasingly flexible, global, and full of opportunities for those ready to embrace it.

Listen to the full episode on The Remote Life Podcast and find out more about the Native Teams product.