Name: First climate migrants from Tuvalu arrive in Australia
Uploaded: 2025-12-13T17:51:57.939Z
Duration: 1 min 53 s
Description: The first group of climate migrants from the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has arrived in Australia under a landmark visa scheme, as rising sea levels threaten to make parts of the low-lying country uninhabitable and force long-term relocation.

The first group of climate migrants from the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has arrived in Australia under a landmark visa scheme, as rising sea levels threaten to make parts of the low-lying country uninhabitable and force long-term relocation.

Melbourne

Australia has begun receiving the first climate migrants from Tuvalu, following a 2023 treaty that allows Tuvaluans to live, study, and work in the country. The treaty was established in response to the severe threat posed by rising sea levels, which could submerge significant portions of Tuvalu by 2050.

The visa program is limited to 280 recipients each year to prevent a loss of essential skills from Tuvalu. Australia is providing support services in several cities to help Tuvaluan families settle, with officials highlighting the positive contributions these new arrivals are expected to make to Australian society.

First climate migrants from Tuvalu arrive in Australia

It's one of the smallest and most remote nations in the world, with some areas measuring just 20 metres in width. Tuvalu could soon disappear underwater as the Pacific Ocean eats away at its shores. Threatened by climate change, one third of Tuvaluans have applied for a climate visa to Australia. This follows the 2023 signing of a first-of-its-kind treaty that grants them a right to live, study and work there. Among the first climate refugees to have obtained the visa is Tuvalu's first female forklift driver. I felt happy and excited when I learnt about the opportunity because it made me think about the future and the new pathway it could create for my life, living in Australia for the betterment of my future. Masina is a dentist and will also move with her seafarer husband and three children to the Australian city of Darwin, where she hopes to work with indigenous communities and if possible visit her home. I was really excited to go there to help out the people, to serve, to alleviate suffering and pain. I can always bring whatever I learn new from Australia back to my home country. But the intake is limited to 280 visas annually to avoid a drastic drop in the island's crucial skills and expertise. But there is a profound urgency as scientists warn that by 2050, key atolls like Funafuti, home to 60% of residents, could be 50-90% submerged. Australia is launching support services in Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland to help Tuvaluan families settle down, with Australia's foreign minister noting that the climate refugees would contribute to Australian society.

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