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Journalists stunned by Nauru 4,000% visa fee hike
Radio New Zealand International - January 14, 2014
Nick Olle, who works for the Global Mail in Sydney, says the organisation's director of photograpy recently received an email from a Nauru Government representative, which stated the fee was $8,000.
That compares to the original application fee of $200. Mr Olle told Amelia Langford he and his colleague thought there had been a mistake.
Nick Olle: The director of photography here, Mike Bowers, has been looking into getting visas for some of our staff to go to Nauru since November last year, so for over two months. And he's frankly been given the run-around. He didn't get anything solid at all until an email from the government information office on Tuesday, saying, 'Sorry for the slow reply. We are giving media visas and they cost $8.000'. (Laughs) That was, in fact, incorrect because that new measure has been approved by the Nauruan parliament, but it hasn't actually been implemented, it still has to be gazetted, which I was told by a leading visa official in Nauru would happen probably in the next couple of days. The standing fee, as it is, is $200. It's about to jump 3,900% to $8,000.
Amelia Langford: It's an incredible hike, isn't it?
NO: It is.
AL: Have they given any sort of reason for why they're doing this?
NO: No. I asked Mike, who thought there was a mistake when he received that email. He thought there might have been some decimal points missing. And he asked directly and was met with silence. And I asked that same person on the phone and she said she couldn't comment. Then I spoke to the visa official and he couldn't comment either. Some people are speculating that the Australian government might have had something to do with that decision. I put that to the department of immigration here and got a statement avoiding the question, really, and saying 'That is a matter for the Nauruan government'. So we can't say with any certainty, but speculation is rife at this stage.
AL: And what does this mean for an organisation like yours?
NO: It's a good point. It was prohibitive, to answer your question, because not only is it an extraordinary fee, but it's non-refundable. So you can apply for an $8,000 single-entry visa to Nauru which will last up to three months, and if they reject it you don't get your $8,000 back. So it's a very expensive gamble and one that will stop us from doing it. We've applied on the basis that the fee is still $200, which is a gamble that's more affordable, obviously, but we've yet to hear.
AL: Do you have any idea as to why it might happen now, in particular?
NO: Well, you know, some people are joining the dots and saying with Australia's new hard-line military-led operation to run border protection, as they call it, and limit media coverage, that the Australian government might have pushed for this. But, again, we haven't been able to confirm that and the government has been silent on this, so it remains speculation.
AL: Anything else you wanted to add?
NO: I guess one curious point is that some cheeky people have been talking about going in an as a tourist, which still costs $100. Reporters could theoretically go in as tourists if they have a visa granted and report, illegally I suppose, as a tourist.
AL: So some journalists might take that risk, do you think?
NO: Yes, I think some people would seriously consider that in the light of the $8,000 fee that's about to come in.
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