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Over 80% of Tuvalu’s population has applied for a groundbreaking climate visa to live in Australia, according to official figures released Wednesday.
This overwhelming interest highlights the dire reality of rising sea levels threatening the low-lying Pacific nation.
Australia’s “first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world” offers 280 visas annually to Tuvaluan citizens.
The Australian High Commission in Tuvalu reported 8,750 registrations, including family members, for the current programme year. This figure represents an astounding 82% of Tuvalu’s total population of 10,643 (based on 2022 census data), meaning many applicants will miss out on the initial allocation.
Tuvalu is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, with scientists predicting it could become uninhabitable within 80 years.
Two of its nine coral atolls have already largely been submerged.
The visa figures were released just hours before a landmark decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding countries’ legal obligations to prevent climate change and potential compensation for its consequences, a case brought by Pacific nations.
The climate migration deal, known as the Falepili Union, was signed in 2024. Beyond offering a pathway for “mobility with dignity,” the pact also commits Australia to defending Tuvalu against natural disasters, health pandemics, and “military aggression.”
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo emphasised that the agreement legally obligates Australia to recognise Tuvalu’s future statehood and sovereignty, even if sea-level rise impacts its physical territory.
However, the agreement also grants Australia influence over any other defence pacts Tuvalu might pursue, raising some concerns about sovereignty.
