What is Australia’s climate visa and why is Tuvalu embracing it so rapidly?

In just four days, approximately one-third of Tuvalu’s population, around 4,000 people, including family members, applied for Australia’s new “climate visa” under the Falepili Union treaty. This world-first visa offers up to 280 Tuvaluans each year the opportunity to live, work, or study in Australia without requiring a job offer.

While the visa itself doesn’t explicitly reference climate change, the treaty behind it frames the program as a response to the “existential threat posed by climate change.”

Climate crisis might be to blame for the surge in applications for a climate visa

Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation with a population of around 11,000 spread across nine atolls, is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to rising sea levels. With an average elevation of just 6 feet 7 inches, it has already experienced a 6-inch sea-level rise in the past three decades. NASA projects that by 2050, daily tides could submerge 50% of Funafuti, the main atoll and home to 60% of Tuvaluans. If sea levels rise by 2 metres, 90% of Funafuti could go underwater.

The UN Development Programme has classified Tuvalu as “extremely vulnerable” to climate change, and the government has already constructed 17 acres of artificial land in an attempt to resist further land loss, with more development planned.

Beyond climate risk, this visa scheme has economic implications

Tuvalu’s current remittance share is 3.2% of GDP, which is modest when compared to Samoa (28%) and Tonga (42%). Migrants sending money home could help families invest in essentials like rainwater tanks, boats, education, internet connectivity, and disaster preparedness tools. These remittances could help families remain in Tuvalu longer, even as conditions worsen.

Crucially, the visa offers Tuvaluans a sense of agency. Young families see it as a chance for education, job opportunities, and greater stability.

The need for migration pathways isn't new

Tuvalu has been lobbying Australia for decades. As far back as 1984, a review of Australia’s foreign aid program suggested that migration opportunities might be the most meaningful support Australia could offer Tuvalu.

By the early 2000s, the focus had shifted toward climate threats. In 2006, then-shadow environment minister Anthony Albanese released a paper titled Our Drowning Neighbours, urging Australia to take a leadership role in creating pathways for Pacific peoples. By 2009, policymakers acknowledged that for some countries, permanent migration might become the only viable option.

With 280 visas available annually, and predictions that nearly 40% of Tuvalu’s population could migrate within a decade, some experts warn about a possible “brain drain.” If too many leave, the country may face labour shortages and developmental stagnation. However, this is precisely why the visa’s gradual, controlled rollout and potential for policy adjustment matter.

What’s also vital is how migrants are supported once they arrive. Experts stress the need for culturally sensitive settlement programs co-developed with the Tuvaluan community. Ideas include appointing a Tuvaluan liaison officer to help newcomers navigate services, culture shock, and employment pathways.

Humanitarian visas matter beyond climate

Tuvalu’s climate visa marks a shift in how we think about migration: not just as a last resort, but as a planned, dignified response to global pressures. This model could prove useful in other crisis contexts, such as geopolitical conflict.

Take Iran, for example. Hundreds of Australian citizens and visa-holders remain stranded there due to deteriorating regional tensions. One Afghan-Australian family, led by a man named Ali, was awarded a humanitarian visa after seven years, but remains stuck in Iran after airspace closures suspended travel options. These cases highlight the need not just for granting visas but ensuring that mobility is truly possible in emergencies.

Similarly, in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Australia issued nearly 1,000 humanitarian visas between October 2024 and January 2025. While these temporary visas grant work rights and access to services, advocates argue they don’t go far enough to guarantee long-term security.

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