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3w ago

Over One-Third of Tuvaluans Apply for Australia’s Climate Visa Lottery

Applications close on July 18, with winners to be drawn randomly from over 4,000 registrants for permanent residency in Australia

Aerial view of Funafuti, Tuvalu’s most populous island, September 6, 2024. Picture taken through plane window. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File Photo
World Bank's president Ajay Banga views the impact of sea level rise in Funafuti, Tuvalu, September 6, 2024. Scientists say by 2050, half of Tuvalu's main town of Funafuti will be inundated by tides. A climate migration deal struck with Australia gives its population a pathway to move when the atoll nation becomes uninhabitable. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File Photo
An aerial view of Funafuti, the most populous of nine atolls in Tuvalu, September 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File Photo

Overview

  • By early July, 1,124 primary applicants and their 2,928 family members had registered, totaling 4,052 people vying for 280 annual visas
  • The Falepili Union treaty grants successful applicants permanent residency rights to live, work and study in Australia with access to healthcare and education on par with citizens
  • Applicants do not need a job offer to qualify and will learn their lottery results after the July 18 deadline
  • The bilateral agreement includes climate adaptation funding, disaster response assistance and a security clause requiring Tuvalu to seek Australia’s approval for other defense arrangements
  • Facing a mean elevation of two metres and a projected daily inundation of half Funafuti by 2050, Tuvalu has built seven hectares of artificial land and plans more to stave off rising seas