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3rd July 2025
03:17pm BST
Tory Burke, Australia's home affairs minister, revealed that his department decided to cancel West's valid visa after the song Heil Hitler was released in early May.
The American rapper has been largely condemned and has consequently been banned on most platforms.
Ye, previously known as Kanye, openly identifies as a Nazi and is known for spreading anti-Semitic comments on social media.
The Yeezy creator is married to Australian designer Bianca Censori, hence the reason he was likely to travel to Australia.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Burke revealed Ye's visa cancellation, while on the topic of the cancellation of another person's right of entry over Islamophobic comments.
"If someone argued that anti-Semitism was rational, I would not let them come here," Mr Burke argued regarding Ye West, per the BBC.
"[West] has been coming to Australia for a long time… and he's made a lot of offensive comments.
"But my officials looked at it again once he released the Heil Hitler song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia."
However, it is not yet clear if the rapper has been permanently banned from Australia.
Mr Burke goes on to explain that visa applications are reassessed each time they are made, following Australian law.
When asked if a visa ban on West would be sustainable, the minister answered: "I think that what's not sustainable is to import hatred... We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry."
Back in 2023, Australia's education minister, Jason Clare, had also condemned Ye's comments on Hitler and the Holocaust, and suggested he should be banned from entering the country.
Despite the major backlash Heil Hitler received, the song accumulated millions of views within a day of its release.
The song is featured on the artist's newest album WW3.
The music video for the new single was released on 8 May and features a group of men wearing animal skins and chanting the song's controversial title.
It has since been banned on streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
However, shortly after its release, Ye released a new version of the single, now titled Hallelujah. All previous references to Nazism are now replaced with lyrics relating to Christianity.
Controversy is nothing new for Ye, as he's been condemned for his anti-Semitic remarks in recent years.
Earlier this year, he declared himself a Nazi, and in 2022 sportswear giant Adidas decided to cut all ties with the American rapper over his anti-Semitism.
