A third of people living in Tuvalu have applied for a visa which will allow them to migrate to Australia.
The visa programme has been implemented by the Australian government in the face of climate change. Tuvalu, at only 5m above sea level, is particularly vulnerable to changes in sea level.
Tuvalu has about 10,000 citizens and about 1,000 people have applied for the Australian visa. If family members are included, this comes to almost 4,000 people.
Applying for the visa is not a guarantee it will be granted, with people being entered in a lottery and only a few hundred visas being issued each year.
The visa will give holders indefinite permanent residency and allow them to freely travel in and out of Australia.
In response to the announcement of the visa, Tuvalu Prime Minister, Feleti Teo, said: “For the first time there is a country that has committed legally to recognise the future statehood and sovereignty of Tuvalu, despite the detrimental impact of climate-change-induced sea level rise.”