Nauru imposes new visitor visa restrictions

YAREN – Nauru has abruptly cancelled all visitor visas for Australian and New Zealand passport holders, according to the country’s airline.

The decision took effect late on Thursday, meaning some passengers were unable to board Friday’s 1.00am flight from Brisbane to Nauru via Honiara.

An airline spokeswoman said the ban would remain in place until further notice, and passengers would be given full refunds.

The Nauru government said it made the decision after a member of the media entered the country on a tourist visa without properly declaring who they worked for.

“Changes in visa policy implemented after the ABC dishonestly entered country as tourist and failed to declare they were media,” the government said on its Twitter account before deleting the tweet.

A later tweet said the government stood by its claims about “journalists entering illegally”.

A spokesperson for ABC News said: “There is no ABC News journalist on assignment in Nauru.

“ABC News journalists have applied through official channels for journalist visas to visit Nauru, not for tourist visas”.

Several Australian and international media organisations have unsuccessfully sought approval to visit Nauru to report on the country’s agreement with Australia to take asylum seekers who arrive by boat.

The immigration detention centre on the island nation has been the subject of critical reports from refugee advocates and human rights groups.

The Nauru government later issued a formal statement saying it had “changed the procedures for visitor visas for Australians and New Zealanders”, but did not provide any details on what those changes would involve or how long they would last for.

“No visas held by Australian and New Zealand workers who enter Nauru for legitimate work reasons are affected,” the statement said.

“Holders of visitor visas to Nauru should contact the consulate of Nauru in Brisbane if further information is required.”

The ABC has contacted the Nauru government media office, the country’s immigration department, as well as the Nauru consulate in Brisbane, but has had no response.

- ABC