One third of island's population apply for world's first climate visa
Amid fears that the Polynesian island could become uninhabitable within 80 years, the new visa will allow 280 Tuvalu nationals to live, work, and study in Australia each year.
A secret ballot will select the 280 residents over the age of 18 every year—meaning that even the applicants who have already applied, might have to wait another 10 years before their visa is granted.
Although the words climate change are not included in the visa itself, Professor Jane McAdam explains that the, 'treaty pursuant to which [the visa] was created is framed very much around the existential threat that climate change poses in our region.'
When Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the treaty in 2023, he noted that the agreement 'reflects Tuvalu's special circumstances as a low-lying nation that's particularly impacted … by the threat of climate change.'
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu has welcomed the visa scheme, but has continued to urge Australia to do far more to address the impacts of climate change.
More than one-third of the population of Tuvalu have begun the process of applying for the world's first climate visa amid fears that the Polynesian island could become uninhabitable within 80 years.
The new visa will allow 280 Tuvalu nationals to live, work and study in Australia each year.
A secret ballot will select the 280 residents over the age of 18.
Every year, meaning that even the applicants who have already applied might have to wait another 10 years before their visa is granted.
Although the words climate change are not included in the visa itself, Professor Jane McAdam explains that the treaty pursuant to which the visa was created is framed very much around the existential threat that climate change poses in our region.
When Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the treaty in 2023, he noted that the agreement reflects Tuvalu's special circumstances as a low-lying nation that's particularly impacted by the threat of climate change.
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu has welcomed the visa scheme but has continued to urge Australia to do far more to address the impacts of climate change.
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