# Australia begins moving non-citizens to Nauru under new resettlement deal
2025-11-07 - Australia has begun transferring some non-citizens to Nauru under a new resettlement arrangement that could eventually affect hundreds of people, according to reporting from RNZ.
The first removals are part of a broader agreement signed last week by Nauru President David Adeang and Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Under the deal, Nauru has agreed to accept hundreds of people Australia deems to have no right to remain in the country. Refugee advocates said at least three men had already been removed, with eight more detained for deportation under the memorandum of understanding.
The arrangement is significant not only because it begins actual removals, but because it revives a long-running and highly contested migration policy relationship between the two countries. RNZ reported that Australian media have said the deal could cost A$2.5 billion over 30 years, but the details remain secret. A redacted 11-page version of the memorandum released under Australia’s freedom of information process has added to criticism from refugee advocates and policy specialists who say the public has not been told enough about the money, the settlement conditions or the likely impact on Nauru.
The people targeted under the arrangement are part of the so-called NZYQ cohort, a group named after a 2023 High Court ruling that found indefinite detention unlawful. Many of those affected have been in Australia for years, and advocates say some have families, jobs and deep ties in the country. The process described by advocates is abrupt: once Nauru issues a visa for an individual, Australia cancels that person’s visa and detains them again before removal.
The Home Affairs department has said the arrangement stems from an earlier interim deal under which three non-citizens who could not be returned home were granted long-term stay visas by Nauru. It says those moved under the new framework will be provided housing, healthcare and work rights to support their settlement and integration.
The policy is also raising questions on Nauru itself, where the government is being provided with resources to support the resettlement. Critics argue the island’s small size, limited infrastructure and health pressures make the deal difficult to justify without much clearer public scrutiny. Supporters of transparency say Australians should be able to see exactly how much money is being paid, what obligations exist on either side, and what safeguards apply to the people being sent there.
For now, the first removals suggest the agreement is moving from negotiation into implementation. That makes the lack of public detail more consequential, not less, because the practical effects are already beginning.
