You can apply to live and work on the Caribbean island of Anguilla for up to a year
Travelers whose applications are accepted could stay on Anguilla for up to a year and work remotely from the warm-weather destination. The 35-square-mile island was named Travel + Leisure's best island for 2020 across the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda, four years in a row. Since March, Anguilla has reported three positive coronavirus cases and zero deaths, and the CDC has listed it as having a "very low" COVID-19 risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding all nonessential international travel during this time. If you decide to travel, follow the CDC's recommendations in its Global COVID-19 Pandemic Notice.
The award-winning Caribbean island of Anguilla is preparing to welcome back tourists to the remote paradise.
On Friday, the island's tourism board opened an online application, which hopeful visitors are required to complete as a first step to potentially head to the island.
According to a press release from Anguilla's tourist board obtained by Insider, the application is designed for visitors who want to arrive on the island no later than October 31.
Prospective tourists hoping to plan a trip to Anguilla for November 1 or later will be invited to apply at the end of September.
The island - which closed its borders to travel in March - has reported just three positive COVID-19 cases. It has not reported any COVID-19-related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The island is currently listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as having a "very low" COVID-19 risk.
Applicants with hopes to stay on the island for longer - for up to a year - will be prioritized over short-term travelers
Visitors can stay and work remotely on the island for up to 12 months, according to the island's application.
Anguilla's tourist board even gives applicants information on how to register kids to be homeschooled, as well as a guide to the island's two internet providers and 30 grocery and convenience stores.
Once prospective travelers' applications are accepted, they'll have to pay a fee to the Anguillan government, which, according to tourism board's press release, will cover two COVID-19 tests per person (which they'll be required to take upon arrival and during their stay), "costs associated with additional public health presence," and a digital work permit for travelers who are staying for up to a year.
To stay on the island for less than three months, accepted individuals are required to pay $1,000, and a family of four is charged $1,500. Individuals who plan to stay in Anguilla for between three months and a year must pay $2,000, and the fee for a family of four is $3,000.
Families of more than four will be charged an additional fee per person, according to the press release.
Anguilla advertises life that's 'a breeze - with lots of Wi-Fi
The remote paradise, which is about a 30-minute ferry ride from nearby St. Maarten, was named the best island for 2020 in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Barbados by Travel + Leisure four years in a row.
The island has 33 beaches, many of which are nearly untouched and often deserted.
According to Anguilla Tourist Board chairman Kenroy Herbert, the island is "uniquely positioned to take advantage" of the "new normal" that requires health and safety precautions, such as social distancing.
"We are a little off the beaten track, our spectacular beaches are uncrowded, and we have an expansive villa sector with properties at a variety of price points and intimate boutique resorts," Herbert said in the tourism board's statement.
A number of other Caribbean destinations have announced plans to re-welcome American visitors, and some spots, including Bermuda and Barbados, are inviting tourists to apply to live and work on their islands for a year.