Immigration
Immigration Act with the Falepili Union mobility pathway to Australia
Entry under the Immigration Act with permits issued by the Immigration Office. The 2023 Falepili Union treaty with Australia creates a distinctive outward mobility pathway for Tuvaluans.
Key rules
- Deadline — Work permits are issued for limited renewable periods
- Deadline — The Falepili mobility arrangement is capped at a set number of places each year
Governing law
- Immigration Act 2014 (s. 8)
- Citizenship ActCap. 28
- Falepili Union Treaty 2023Australia–Tuvalu
- Passports ActCap. 29
In practice
Inward immigration is minimal and permit-based. The legally significant development runs the other way: the Falepili Union treaty with Australia, signed in 2023 and in force from 2024, provides a special mobility pathway allowing a capped number of Tuvaluans each year to live, work and study in Australia with access to services, alongside Australian commitments on climate resilience and a consultation clause concerning security arrangements. It is the first treaty of its kind framed around climate mobility, and it is the single most consequential instrument in Tuvaluan immigration law even though it governs emigration rather than entry.