Sydney, July 23: More than 80 percent of Pacific nation Tuvalu’s population is seeking a landmark climate visa to live in Australia as rising seas lap at its shores, official figures showed Wednesday.
Australia is offering visas to Tuvalu citizens each year under a climate migration deal Canberra has billed as “the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world”.
“We received extremely high levels of interest in the ballot with 8,750 registrations, which includes family members of primary registrants,” the Australian high commission in Tuvalu said in a statement.
The figure is equal to 82 percent of the country’s 10,643 population, according to census figures collected in 2022.
“With 280 visas offered this program year, it means that many will miss out,” the commission said.
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