Nearly a third of Tuvaluans have applied for climate migration visa

With their country threatened by sea level rise, the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route through an agreement with Australia, and many are contemplating leaving their home

By James Woodford

26 June 2025

Tuvalu is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

How does it feel to lose your home to climate change? The roughly 10,000 residents of Tuvalu will be among the first in the world to have to confront this question.

With an average height above sea level of less than 3 metres, Tuvalu is on course to become completely uninhabitable due to flooding, storm surges and erosion. By 2100, sea levels are projected to rise by 72 centimetres and the coral atoll archipelago, which is roughly midway between Australia and Hawaii, is expected to experience flooding for nearly a third of every year.

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But the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route. In late 2023, the Australian government announced that it would launch what effectively amounts to the world’s first planned migration of an entire nation.

Under the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty, 280 Tuvaluans each year will be granted Australian residency through a ballot. The first lottery opened on 16 June this year, and 3125 citizens – nearly a third of the country’s population – have already applied. The closing date to register for this year’s lottery is 18 July.

In a statement to New Scientist, the Australian government said it recognises the “devastating impact climate change is having on the livelihoods, security and well-being of climate-vulnerable countries and people, particularly in the Pacific region”.