What happens to a country when everyone leaves? | The Pacific

More than 8,700 Tuvaluans applied for a new Australian visa in 2025, that’s a third of their global population. 280 visas were granted and successful applicants have started making their way to Australia. As rising seas threaten the low-lying Pacific nation, families are faced with an agonising choice between opportunity and home. In this special episode, The Pacific travels to Tuvalu to explore the impacts of the visa and talks to locals who reject the label of "climate migrants", insisting they are moving for their children's futures - not abandoning their country. Reporter/producer: Jordan Fennell Camera/producer: Alice Lolohea This reporting was supported by the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism through the Walkley Public Fund. #ABCThePacific Watch The Pacific on ABC Australia or on ABC iView: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/pacific Like ABC Pacific on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABCPacific Follow ABC Pacific on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abcpacific/ For more from ABC Pacific news, click here: https://www.abc.net.au/pacific Subscribe: https://ab.co/3yqPOZ5 Read more here: Welcome to ABC News In-depth, where you'll find our long-form journalism and other videos to help you understand what's going on in the world around you. Watch more ABC News content ad-free on ABC iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1 For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY Get breaking news and livestreams from our ABC News channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/NewsOnABC Like ABC News on Facebook: http://facebook.com/abcnews.au Follow ABC News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/abcnews_au Follow ABC News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abcnews Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia