Samoa not on list of countries qualified to apply for new Aussie visa

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa has been excluded from the list of countries that can apply under a new visa category in Australia that allows skilled workers and their families to apply for permanent residence, according to a report in the Samoa Observer.

Samoa and Kiribati are the only Pacific islands that participate under the Pacific Australia Labor Mobility (PALM) scheme whose citizens are not eligible to apply for the new permanent residence visa under the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV), however, this has no impact on the nation's participation in PALM, according to the Australian government.

While Samoans may not be eligible for the PEV, Samoans employed under the PALM scheme may still be able to have their families join them in Australia.

The Australian Government has also committed to allowing long-term PALM scheme workers to bring their families to Australia, commencing with a pilot of 200 families in 2024. This particular visa initiative is yet to be announced, according to the Observer.

While the labor mobility benefited Samoa families with evidence of remittances from the temporary workers going up annually it has also posed concerns on local industry seeing a shortage of workers. This has been an issue raised by the Samoa government and is now a possible reason for the exclusion of Samoa from the Australian visa ballot.

In August last year, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa again raised deep concerns about the exodus of workers to Australia and New Zealand, arguing that countries like hers should not be seen merely as "outposts" which "grow" laborers for developed nations. 

Australia’s High Commissioner to Samoa, William Robinson told the Observer the Australian Government carefully considered concerns raised by Pacific nations regarding brain drain during the consultation phase of the scheme’s design. 

“Samoa is still considering its participation in the Pacific Engagement Visa,” the High Commissioner said. 

“Australia understands and respects Samoa’s position and continues to discuss this topic with the Government.”