Ministerial Order Introducing New Visas Signed

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Rick Tchamako Mahe, yesterday signed a new order introducing new visa categories offering opportunities for foreign nationals wanting to do business, work, study and reside in Vanuatu.

Provisional investor visa, Business investor visa, Direct investor visa, Permanent investor visa, Short term employment visa, Employment visa, Residential leasehold owner visa, Agriculture leasehold owner visa, Commercial leasehold owner visa, Bridging visa, Religious worker visa, Development support visa, Close family visa, Social exchange visa, Retire visa, Diplomatic visa, Business multiple entry visa and Ni-Vanuatu descent visa will be launched in a few months’ time.

Each visa has its terms and conditions, including fees.

Provisional investor visa, Business investor visa, Permanent investment and Direct investor visa allow applicants to live and undertake business in Vanuatu.

Under the Provisional investor visa, a holder of the visa must not engage in any employment and is allowed to change visa status to business investor visa. A business investor visa holder may establish and conduct business activities subject to normal business requirement. A permanent investor visa holder is not allowed to change his or her visa status.

Business multiple entry visa will cater for individuals who intend to enter Vanuatu to conduct business activities.

An Employment visa allows an applicant to undertake skilled work not listed on the reservation occupation list for a period of more than five months.

A Short-term employment visa is given to people who come to do specific work for a short term period, one to four months.

To be eligible for a Residential leasehold owner visa, applicants must have a leasehold ownership of a property in Vanuatu certified by a bank operating in the country, a chartered accounting operating in Vanuatu or a registered value of VT10 million or more, and must reside in Vanuatu continuously for five years either under close family visa or investor visa or visa. Applicants must also secure a monthly income of at least VT250, 000 to VT1million maximum for each person included in the application.

Requirements for an Agriculture leasehold owner visa and Commercial leasehold owner visa are similar to a Residential leasehold owner visa.

A Bridging visa allows an applicant to remain in Vanuatu while waiting for his/her substantive visa to be processed.

A Religious worker visa enables a person to enter Vanuatu to engage in religious activity and the sponsoring organisation must be affiliated with the Vanuatu Christian Council. A security bond is a requirement if the applicant will be in the country for more than 90 days.

A Development support visa is granted to professionals nominated to work in a government and Non-Government Organisation development related field.

Close family visas allow people to move to Vanuatu with their close family members.

Social exchange visas are issued to foreigners who wish to participate in a community, education and engage in a film making or other media activity.

Retiree visa allows retirees to spend their retirement years in Vanuatu. An applicant must be at least 50 years of age and has a secure monthly income of at least VT250,000 to VT1million maximum.

Diplomatic visas are given to diplomats and their immediate family members.

A Ni-Vanuatu decent visa are given to former Vanuatu citizen or descendants of a Vanuatu citizen.

Minister Mahe put pen to paper in the presence of the Director of Immigration Jeffrey Markson and the Acting Director General (DG) of the Ministry, Leith Veremaito. He said the signing is a milestone in border management following consultations with stakeholders.

The new visas will support foreign investment, tourism and compliance activities, said the Internal Affairs Minister.

Director Markson said the Department of Immigration will begin awareness on the new visas to clients and the public following yesterday’s signing.

Markson said introducing new visas will also bring a lot of revenue.

The Department has been looking forward to the signing of the order since it started working on these new visas, he added.

Opposition fails to topple gov’t, still claims ‘majority’

The Opposition failed to topple the government in the no confidence session yesterday, as the Speaker of Parliament declared the session adjourned due to no quorum.

This clearly confirmed that neither side has an absolute majority in parliament.

Only 25 MPs from the Opposition side were present in the parliament resulting in the lack of quorum and the failure of the opposition to oust Prime Minister (PM) as they claimed in their press conference at their camp in Pango.

Yesterday, Opposition Bob Loughman said again that they will form the new coalition government next week. This can only happen if they have a majority of 27 MPs.

With the appointment of three signatories of the motion as state ministers the government has prevented the opposition to get a majority support.

As predicted by the Daily Post on Tuesday, Vanuatu is now in a political impasse where the bills could not be passed and seeking dissolution is not possible. The failure in parliament to reach a quorum yesterday means this situation will remain until next Wednesday.

The political crisis began when Loughman deposited his second motion with 29 signatures last Thursday.  The numbers shifted from Kalsakau to Loughman.

During the last session, Opposition benefited from the support of only 15 MPs. Since the motion deposited there were movement of MPs to both sides.

Even after the dissolution yesterday, Loughman was still claiming that he has the support of 29 MPs knowing that some of the signatories have defected from the opposition camp to join the government side.

PM Kalsakau said in a press conference yesterday with Presidents of political parties in government that they decided not to boycott the session to demonstrate that Loughman had no simple majority.

Kalsakau said he is confident he will defeat the motion.

 President of the Ground and Justice Party (GJP), Ralph Regenvanu rejected Loughman’s call for a session to debate the motion without having the required numbers.

Regenvanu said that during his reign as an Opposition Leader he has successfully deposited a motion in 2022 which resulted in the Council of Ministers requesting a dissolution.

President of the Reunification Movement of Change and one of the former PM, Charlot Salwai said Vanuatu is now facing a political crisis and is difficult to form a new government.

He appealed to the MPs to make national interest their priority.

President of the Leaders Party, Jotham Napat reminded all members of parliament that Kalsakau was elected unopposed and why suddenly after just eight months the opposition wants a new government to be elected.

Deputy PM and Foreign Affairs Minister, Matai Seremaiah during the press conference labelled the minimum wage increase which is one of the arguments of the motion as baseless.

 Matai said the Opposition MPs are against the increase of salaries of workers who elected them but want an increase of their allowances to VT15 million.

 The Deputy Prime Minister said that the political impasse will be solved before the parliament session next week

Pacific news in brief for August 16

West Papua - beaten

Media in Papua says at least 16 activists from the West Papua National Committee or KNPB were beaten by the police while holding a demonstration commemorating the New York agreement in Sentani, Jayapura Regency on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the KNPB, Ones Suhuniap, said most of those who were hit suffered serious head injuries.

Suhuniap said the police used batons to beat up demonstrators in Sentani and fired water cannons to disperse the crowd.

The KNPB simultaneously held demonstrations in Papua and in other parts of Indonesia.

This action was to ask the UN to review the 1962 New York agreement through which the Netherlands and Indonesia agreed to transfer control of Papua from the Netherlands to Indonesia.

Pacific - MSG meeting

The 22nd Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders' Summit will be held in Port Vila next week.

The summit was supposed to be held from July 17 to 21, but it had to be rescheduled because Solomon Islands had a clash with their Parliament sitting and Vanuatu was also busy hosting the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival, alongside the arrival of the French President.

Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Matai Seremiah, confirmed the new date for the summit to the Daily Post on Tuesday, after being briefed on the event.

Seremiah said the summit will be held from Wednesday to Thursday following the Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting and the officials' meeting.

Pacific/Germany - abandoned

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has abandoned a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after a problem with her government plane twice forced it to return to Abu Dhabi.

AP reports Baerbock set off from Berlin on Sunday on what was supposed to be a nearly weeklong trip.

But after two episodes of a technical issue, Baerbock wrote on X - formerly known as Twitter - it was not logistically possible to continue her Indo-Pacific trip.

She added the Pacific region will mark the world order of the 21st century decisively.

Nothern Marianas - tourism

Northern Marianas' tourism industry has continued its upward trend with more than 25,000 tourists visiting the islands last month.

The Marianas Visitors Authority said the CNMI received 10,367 visitors in the same month a year earlier - in July 2022.

Visitor arrivals from South Korea reached 20,627 last month.

The Authority said strong demand in Korea has generated an abundance of air service to the Marianas.

Forum - troika

The Pacific Islands Forum or PIF Troika met in Suva last week ahead of the Leaders Meeting to be held in Rarotonga later this year.

The Forum Troika is the leadership group made up of the past present and future chairs of the regional organisation.

The prime ministers of the Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji met to discuss their role within the Troika mechanism.

Cook Islands PM and the current Forum chair, Mark Brown, said an update was given on arrangements for the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum, which will be held in Rarotonga and Aitutaki from November 6-10.

The leaders also considered an update on the Pacific Resilience Facility, which provides full-grant financing without debt for disaster preparedness in the region.

West Papua - drought

The head of the Puncak Disaster Management Agency in West Papua has confirmed that her office has distributed food assistance across 15 villages in Puncak Regency.

Yuniet Murib said these villages in Central Papua Province have been significantly affected by an ongoing drought.

Jubi TV reports Murib saying 8,000 people have been affected.

According to data compiled by the disaster agency, six fatalities have been reported in the three districts due to the famine.

Tonga - conference

A preparatory meeting for next year's International Conference on Small Island Developing States is underway in Tonga, where delegates from 38 independent Small Island States are in attendance.

Tonga's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fekita Utoikamanu said many challenges need to be discussed.

"Small island developing states have experienced an increasing and evermore complex mix of challenges," she said.

"We have coped with multiple crises. The SIDS as far back as 1994 in Barbados alerted to the threat of climate change and this is now an existential threat on many levels.

FIJI TO HOST 2026 MELANESIAN ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL

Port Vila, VANUATU -- During the closing ceremony of the Melanesian Arts & Culture Festival 2023 (7MACFEST) held in Port Vila on Sunday, July 30th, Director for Heritage, Collin Sowani Yabaki, speaking on behalf of the Minister for iTaukei Affairs, Culture and Heritage Hon. Ifereimi Vasu and the Fiji Contingent, expressed his excitement about Fiji being chosen as the host country for the 2026 Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival.

 

He stated that Fiji is honored to be selected as the host of this significant event for the Melanesian community in 2026 and emphasized that Fiji intends to highlight its abundant cultural diversity and history, following the example set by Vanuatu this year.

 

Director Yabaki stressed the importance of regionalism and cooperation in Melanesia, as showcased by this year's theme of "Rebuilding My Melanesian for Common Identity."

 

“The importance of regionalism and cooperation within Melanesia cannot be overstated. It is crucial for economic development, security, cultural preservation, and social integration,” the Director said.

 

“Indeed, passing on customs and traditional culture to the younger generation is of paramount importance. Culture serves as the foundation of a society's identity, shaping its values, beliefs, and practices,” said the Director.

 

"Nonetheless, the 2026 MACFEST will include various events such as the Melanesian Arts and Festival Symposium, Melanesian Music Festival, and the Melanesian Pageant," he added. 

 

Director Yabaki expressed confidence in Fiji's ability to match and sustain the high standards set by Vanuatu.

 

"We are grateful to the people of Vanuatu for their hospitality, love, and generosity during this year's festival," adds Director Yabaki.

He concluded by saying that Fiji looks forward to welcoming the Melanesian family to Fiji in 2026 and creating unforgettable memories together.

 

The Melanesian Arts and Cultural Festival (MACFEST) is a series of events held in various Melanesian countries to celebrate and promote the rich cultural heritage of the region.

 

The festival has a unique theme for each edition, which mirrors the Melanesian people's values, dreams, and challenges.

 #FijiGovernment #FijiNews #CoalitionGovernment #TeamFiji #7MACFEST #Vanuatu

 #GovernmentNews

Namba 7 MACFEST hem open long Vanuatu

Namba 7 Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival em ibin open long Port Vila, capital city blong Vanuatu tede folem wan kastom seremoni wetem ol traditional owners blong Port Vila.

Ol Melanesian grups wea tek part long hem nao hem Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, ol Torres Strait aelan pipol blong Australia mo West Papua.

Namba 7 Macfest ia bambae hem end long namba 31 blong manis ia wetem bigfala celebresen long Vanuatu blong makim namba 23 independence anniversary blong kantri long namba 30 July.

Long moning tede, ol lida blong ol participating groups ibin go across long smol aelan blong Ifira blong attendim wan kastom seremoni blong tekem permission mo som respek long ol traditional owna blong Port Vila.

Hem ia sam long ol toktok blong Paramount Chief blong Ifira Mantoi Kalsakau long seremoni ia.

Long toktok blong hem long seremoni ia, Director General blong Melanesian Spearhead Group, Leonard Louma i hemi se tankyu long Chief Kalsakau blong givim permission long ol Macfest participants.

(Content by Hilaire Bule)

Broadcast 19 Jul 2023

Namba 7 Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival em ibin open long Port Vila

Namba 7 Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival em ibin open long Port Vila, capital city blong Vanuatu tede folem wan kastom seremoni wetem ol traditional owners blong Port Vila.

Ol Melanesian grups wea tek part long hem nao hem Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, ol Torres Strait aelan pipol blong Australia mo West Papua.

Namba 7 Macfest ia bambae hem end long namba 31 blong manis ia wetem bigfala celebresen long Vanuatu blong makim namba 23 independence anniversary blong kantri long namba 30 July.

Long moning tede, ol lida blong ol participating groups ibin go across long smol aelan blong Ifira blong attendim wan kastom seremoni blong tekem permission mo som respek long ol traditional owna blong Port Vila.

Hem ia sam long ol toktok blong Paramount Chief blong Ifira Mantoi Kalsakau long seremoni ia.

Long toktok blong hem long seremoni ia, Director General blong Melanesian Spearhead Group, Leonard Louma i hemi se tankyu long Chief Kalsakau blong givim permission long ol Macfest participants.

(Content by Hilaire Bule)

Welkam blong ol Macfest participants long Port Vila

Ol participants blong namba 7 Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival oli stat kasem finis long Port Vila blong attendim festval ia we bae stat long Wednesday namba 19 go kasem namba 31 blong manis ia.

Chairman blong MACFEST organising committee, Richard Shing hem se ol participants blong Fiji oli kasem Vila finis long wiken, mo hem stap long Bauerfield International Airport long moning tede blong welkamim ol particioants blong New Caledonia.

Hem talem Niusman Hilaire Bule se long aftanum bae ol participants blong Solomon Islands mo Torres aelan long Australia bae kasem Vila, mo ol blong PNG bae kasem later long wik.

Long audio, bae yu harem storian blong niusman Hilaire wetem Richard Shing.

Broadcast 17 Jul 2023

Indonesia creates new committee on Papua after talks with Vanuatu

Joint talks between Vanuatu and Indonesia have taken place in Jakarta with West Papua high on the agenda

It comes amidst tensions in the region, and ahead of a state visit next month to Papua New Guinea by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Indonesia's state-owned news agency Antara reports Vice President Ma'ruf Amin met with Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister Jotham Napat in Jakarta on Monday.

Vanuatu has strongly supported the separatist push in West Papua for many years and Antara reports the issue of conflict in the province was discussed.

Amin announced a Papua Special Autonomy Development Acceleration Steering Committee had been formed to evaluate development in the Papua region.

"The granting of this special autonomy has been planned for the long term up to 2042," he said.

Amin said Indonesia respects the diversity in West Papua.

"I want to emphasise that the welfare approach will continue to become the main priority by respecting diversity and based on the principles of fairness, equity, and sustainability. The settlement of security issues is also done through a comprehensive approach," he said.

The Vice President said Indonesia is also ready to serve as a gateway for Vanuatu to enter the ASEAN market.

Vanuatu is hoping to forge a technical cooperation agreement as well as establish sister city and provincial partnerships.

At Monday's meeting, Napat stated that his visit to Indonesia is a fundamental step to recover trust and to express eagerness to build sound cooperation between Vanuatu and Indonesia.

Napat also echoed his country's keenness to forge a technical cooperation agreement between both nations as well as to establish sister city and sister province partnership that he said can be started with Papua Province.