• GLOBAL MOBILITY
MAURITIUS
MY ADVICE...
Mobile Mauritius
Q3 How is government policy influencing mobility in your jurisdiction – particularly in regard to employment relocation? Mauritius has always innovated in issuing work and residence permits for foreigners looking for employment on the island. In the past decade, there has been a relaxation of the criteria for employment eligibility. At present, we have what we call ‘Occupation Permits’ which are residence and work permits issued to foreign employees. Foreigners can take jobs here and the employers will apply for these permits. The application is straightforward, and a lot has been done to make it a hassle-free and streamlined exercise. Foreign employees need to have the necessary qualifications and experience, commensurate with the jobs they are applying for. There is also a minimum salary for which employers can employ a foreigner which has been lowered over the years. These permits are not only issued to the employee but also to his dependent family members including parents. A spouse is also eligible to apply for a work permit and get employed. Many families have relocated to Mauritius as a result. The occupation permits can be for up to 10 years which is renewable. A lot has been done to encourage foreign employment and relocation to Mauritius.
The whole world is now a global village. We have seen how an event in China (Covid-19) got spread to the whole world within weeks. However, the global village also has its benefits, and Mauritius has certainly benefited as well. Our immigration rules are very interesting and flexible. The Government has done a lot to encourage immigration. Entrepreneurs looking to set up their business are very much encouraged to set up in Mauritius. With an investment of only USD 50,000, these entrepreneurs get occupation permits for up to 10 years, together with their dependent families. This measure has attracted a lot of entrepreneurs to relocate to Mauritius. We have very good international educational systems based on the English or French model which does not disrupt the education
of children relocating. Mauritius also gives opportunities to
foreign students who have studied in a tertiary education institution in the country to work here. They are eligible for a maximum of 3 years occupation permits. Foreigners are also now allowed to buy local properties (something which was very restricted before). Mauritius is well placed to become an option for foreigners to relocate to Mauritius on a long-term basis. We have everything here to encourage them. We are a robust financial centre with a very good banking and tax system. We have a very busy airport with daily connections to Europe, Asia and Africa. These are what makes Mauritius a star and key of the Indian Ocean and a highly recommended country for relocation.
Vimal Damry Managing Director Premier Financial Services Limited
distortions with unemployment and inflation being the major factors that make people migrate. Climatic changes have affected many small islands and Mauritius has not been spared. We have cyclones and floods every year which is another factor people consider. Trade policies have created migration such as from India and Africa. We also have the Russia-Ukraine war which has also seen Russians and Ukrainians migrating with families, including to Mauritius. Needless to say, there are also people moving out of Mauritius to destinations such as Canada, Australia, and Europe. That said, Mauritius is a very open country and many who had emigrated have in fact returned after a few years abroad. It’s a constant situation of people moving in and out, which is quite an interesting mobility phenomenon. Q2 Climate concerns are increasingly becoming a decision-making factor in global migration – how is this impacting your jurisdiction? It is a common fact, that the whole world is impacted by climate change. We can see how countries are regularly affected by tsunamis, cyclones, drought, and
floods in different parts of the world. The effects of these can no longer be underestimated. These climate concerns bring with it migration as people move to safer places. Mauritius has accepted migrants from countries who have emigrated due to climate concerns. Our travel and visa policies are, in fact, very good, with no major barriers to such travellers. That said, we do also have our cyclones and floods every year, but we are used to it. These are not major factors for Mauritians to emigrate elsewhere. However, we can say that in Mauritius we have not seen immigrants settling here due to climate change concerns.
Q1 How are global geopolitical events affecting mobility in your jurisdiction?
Mauritius as a destination has been always very popular for tourism. We have as many tourists as the number of inhabitants. We are a very open country with visas on arrival for many nationals whether coming as tourists or on business. We are ideally placed between Africa and Asia. There is a lot happening on the global geopolitical front, with a mixture of different events such as political instability, or changes in government policies, like some neighbour countries pushing some of their residents to migrate elsewhere or looking for a second home. Regionally, we have many southern and eastern Africans who have taken residency in Mauritius. We have also had the COVID-19 outbreak, which has made people go back to their home country, whilst others have taken residency here, so there is ‘two-way traffic’. It is quite interesting to see how people reacted differently to this crisis. This pandemic has created a lot of
“Climatic changes have affected many small islands and Mauritius has not been spared.”
Vimal Druvnath Damry BA (Hons.), DIP (ITM), LLB (Hons.), LLM (Business Law), TEP. Vimal is the Managing Director of Premier Financial Services Limited, he is a senior trust and offshore practitioner, a Law graduate from the University of London, a Graduate in Economics from Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) - University of Delhi, holds a Masters in Business Law (De Montford Leicester University), Postgraduate in International Trust Management from Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Central Law Training UK, Member of STEP, Member of International Tax Practitioners Association (ITPA) and other professional bodies.
About us... premier.mu Premier Financial Services Limited is a fast-growing licensed and regulated Management Company/Trust Company by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission servicing private clients, listed and private companies. Its group companies and associates are based in Mauritius, Singapore, UK, and Seychelles. Premier’s Promoters and Directors have been in financial services for more than a decade and have managed companies and trusts holding assets of more than USD1 billion in aggregate.
+23 0245 670 3 vimal@premier.mu irglobal.com/advisor/vimal-damry
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