Kanye 'Ye' West pictured with his Australian-born wife, Bianca Censori. Credit: Gilbert Flores / Getty Images.
Australia’s federal government confirmed this week that Kanye West is officially barred from entering the country.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, has had his Australian visa revoked.
This comes despite his ties to the country through his wife, Melbourne native Bianca Censori.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the decision during an interview on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, as reported by ABC News.
Burke was discussing recent visa cancellations when he cited West’s case as an example of Australia’s hard stance on hate promotion.
“Most cancelled visas under this section involve public speech,” Burke said.
“The only one I recall that wasn’t about public advocacy—but we still cancelled it—was Kanye West.”
Ye, who has family in Australia and has visited before, was reportedly planning another trip.
But Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said recent events triggered a reassessment of his visa.
Australia revoked Ye’s visa after he released the controversial track Heil Hitler, which referenced the Nazi dictator.
The song sparked international backlash and was banned from major platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube, according to The Guardian.
Burke said the decision reflects Australia’s core values:
“I think what’s not sustainable is to import hatred.”
He added:
“Every visa application gets reassessed… even for the lowest level of visa, my officials looked at it and cancelled it after that song’s release.”
While Burke didn’t detail the song’s lyrics, he pointed out that West had previously made “a lot of offensive comments,” which influenced the decision.
The Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on individual cases.
However, it emphasized that all non-citizens must meet character requirements under the Migration Act.
A spokesperson stated:
“The Australian government will continue to act decisively to protect the community from the risk of harm posed by individuals who choose to engage in criminal activity or behaviour of concern, including visa cancellation or refusal where appropriate.”
