Vanuatu citizens are eligible to apply for Australia permanent resident status under Pacific engagement visa scheme. Every year some 3000 visas will be made available for pacific countries. This visa is a permanent resident visa and therefore applicants will be free to choose where they live, work and study in Australia. There are no restrictions on work location, industry/type of work or employer. The Pacific Engagement (subclass 192) visa regulations came into effect on 29 March 2024.
Conditions
To be eligible for the Pacific Engagement Visa, primary applicants will need to:
- be aged between 18 to 45 to enter the ballot
- be selected through the electronic ballot process (costs $25 to participate)
- secure a formal ongoing job offer in Australia (or their partner/spouse must have a job offer)
- meet English language, character and health checks
- hold a passport for a participating country.
- Applicants can include a partner and legally dependent children in their application.
The Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) pre-application ballot aims to give eligible people from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste equal access to the PEV. The ballot provides a fair and transparent process by randomly selecting people to apply for the visa. It makes sure there is equal access for people of any skill level, occupation and gender.
The Australian Government will allocate up to 3000 visa places per year, which includes partners and dependent children. To be able to apply for the Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192), you must first register in the PEV ballot. If you are randomly selected in the PEV ballot, you can then apply for the visa. There is a ballot registration fee of AUD25.
PEV Visa allocations for 2026–27
| Country | Places |
|---|---|
| Federated States of Micronesia | 50 |
| Fiji | 300 |
| Kiribati | 100 |
| Palau | 50 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1,350 |
| Republic of the Marshall Islands | 50 |
| Samoa | 150 |
| Solomon Islands | 300 |
| Timor-Leste | 300 |
| Tonga | 150 |
| Tuvalu | 100 |
| Vanuatu | 150 |
Ballot Selection
The ballot selection process will begin after the ballot registration period is closed.
| Country | Selection |
|---|---|
| Federated States of Micronesia | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Fiji | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Kiribati | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Palau | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Papua New Guinea | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Republic of Marshall Islands | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Samoa | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Solomon Islands | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Timor-Leste | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Tonga | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Tuvalu | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
| Vanuatu | 05/08/2026 to 26/02/2027 |
Ballot eligibility
To be eligible to register in the Pacific Engagement stream visa (PEV) ballot, you must:
- be aged between 18-45 years (inclusive) at the commencement of the ballot registration open period for your country
- hold a valid passport issued by one of the participating countries
- Federated State of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of Marshall Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- be born in, or have a parent that was born in:
- Australia*
- Federated State of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- New Zealand*
- Republic of Marshall Islands
- Republic of Naoero
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- not be a citizen of New Zealand
- not already be registered in the same PEV ballot
- pay the ballot registration fee (AUD25).
* Some eligible citizens may have been born outside of their country of citizenship to access alternative medical facilities. We have included Australia and New Zealand in this list to recognise this. You can be in or outside Australia to register in the ballot.
We assist PEV visas through our team of lawyers. Please contact us for more information.
