More than 3,000 Tuvaluans have applied for a landmark climate visa to move to Australia, as rising seas threaten to engulf vulnerable areas of the South Pacific island.
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Australia last week opened a new visa category specially set aside for adult citizens of Tuvalu following the groundbreaking climate migration pact, Falepili Union, signed in 2023.
About 3,125 Tuvaluans – accounting for nearly a third of the population – had already entered the ballot within four days of its opening, Agence France-Presse reported, citing official data.
Tuvalu is home to 10,643 people, according to 2022 census figures.
Australia is offering visas to 280 Tuvaluans annually, with the ballot for the 2025-26 programme year closing on July 18. The visa requires an A$25 (US$16) registration fee.
Canberra has hailed the climate migration pact as “the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world”.