More than 56,000 Pacific Islanders scramble for 3000 places in Australian visa lottery

More than 56,000 Pacific and Timor-Leste residents have scrambled to nab one of 3000 visas to call Australia home in a new lottery system.

Tens of thousands of Pacific Islanders are set to miss out on the chance to call Australia home next year under a new visa lottery.

Applications for the federal government’s new Pacific Engagement Visa closed this month, with a massive 56,127 registrations from people aged under 45 in the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

But only 3000 visas will be granted under the first random ballot, which aims to strengthen ties between Australia and the region.

Revelations of the massive oversubscription come as Anthony Albanese, who arrived in Tonga on Tuesday evening, will today attend bilateral meetings with Pacific leaders.

The opposition has raised concerns about the first ever Pacific permanent migration pathway, saying it may not help address Australia’s critical skills shortage and lead to a regional brain drain.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy. Picture: DFAT

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson acknowledged there had been “strong interest” for the permanent residence visa.

“We will consider interest and trends from the inaugural ballot to inform the future rollout of the program, and will continue to engage participating countries to ensure the program delivers on shared needs and priorities,” a spokesperson said.

The biggest demand for the visa was driven by Fiji, which had more than 30,500 applicants for 300 places.

Almost 8100 people from PNG applied for 1350 places, more than 7000 people from Timor-Leste applied for 300 places, while at least 5610 people from Tonga applied for 150 places.

Allocations for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Nauru were also oversubscribed.

However, only eight people from the Federated States of Micronesia and six people from Palau applied for the 50 places allocated to each of the nations.

Applicants had to be aged between 18 and 45 years, hold a valid visa and be born or have a parent born in an eligible country.

They also had to pay a $25 registration fee, raising the government $1.4m.

If randomly selected in the ballot, the applicant or their partner must secure an ongoing job offer in Australia, meet basic English language, health and character requirements.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

But Mr Tehan said there was no way of determining whether Australia would get the skills it needs, or whether it was taking much needed skills out of the Pacific.

“Our concerns are the lottery,” he said, adding lots of people would be “incredibly disappointed”.

“They’re crying out for nurses and teachers at the moment, and if we start taking nurses and teachers, it’ll really hurt.

“Playing with people’s lives with a lottery is not how you should put people on a permanent pathway to residency in this country.”

Pacific Minister Pat Conroy announced the government would establish the Pacific Engagement Visa in late 2022.

The 56,127 applications includes couples that had both registered for the ballot.

Australia last year struck a separate deal with Tuvalu, which is at risk of sinking due to climate change, to give up to 280 people given the right to live, work and study here each year.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday warned Pacific Island nations are in “grave danger”, with sea levels and temperatures in the region rising faster than the global average.

Climate action groups are also calling on the federal government to support a US$1 trillion global climate finance goal, which will be set at the UN climate change conference COP29 later this year.

The groups are also demanding Australia contribute to the global loss and damage fund, while urging an end to fossil fuel subsidies globally.