Nearly a third of Tuvalu’s entire population has applied for a new Australian visa scheme offering permanent residency under a historic treaty billed as the world’s first climate migration agreement.
The Falepili Union, signed in 2023 between Australia and the tiny Polynesian nation, allows up to 280 Tuvaluan citizens each year to live, work or study in Australia. Since the inaugural ballot opened on June 16, a staggering 3,125 Tuvaluans — almost one in three of the nation’s 10,000 citizens — have registered, official figures reveal.
The scheme is part of a broader agreement positioning Australia as Tuvalu’s key security and development partner, in return for assistance with climate adaptation, infrastructure, telecommunications and disaster resilience. The treaty is named after the Tuvaluan word falepili, meaning “good neighbour.”
Applications for the visa cost $25 and close on July 18, with successful applicants selected by random ballot rather than skill or merit. Winners will gain permanent residency, access to Medicare, and rights to work or study in Australia.
Tuvalu, a collection of low-lying reef islands halfway between Brisbane and Hawaii, is considered the world’s most vulnerable nation to sea level rise. Its highest point sits less than five metres above sea level, and much of its land is at risk of being submerged in coming decades.
Australian High Commissioner to Tuvalu, David Charlton, said the opening of the Falepili Mobility Pathway “marks a significant moment for our elevated partnership and demonstrates Australia’s ongoing commitment to the government and people of Tuvalu.”
While critics have raised concerns over Australia’s growing influence on Tuvalu’s sovereignty — labelling the treaty “neo-colonialist” — Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo stressed that the pathway is not designed to empty the nation.
“The Falepili Mobility Pathway is not just a one-way traffic,” he said.
“Tuvalu stands to benefit greatly from those that return to Tuvalu after exposure to work, study and life in Australia.”
Australia has committed $47 million in development assistance for Tuvalu in 2025–26, including support for climate adaptation through the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project and investments in health, education and digital infrastructure.
In a statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the pathway as delivering “mobility with dignity,” while Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said it would bring the two nations closer together. Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy praised the treaty as the most significant agreement with a Pacific nation since PNG’s independence in 1975.
The Falepili Mobility Pathway is being offered alongside existing regional initiatives such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme and the Pacific Engagement Visa, as part of Australia’s broader push to support a “peaceful, stable and prosperous” Pacific.
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