Aust, Nauru talks on five-year asylum deal

Australia and Nauru are negotiating a five-year plan on asylum seeker processing and settlement.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton visited the island nation on Wednesday and Thursday, where he met with Nauru's Justice and Border Control Minister David Adeang.

Mr Adeang said in a statement on Thursday that support from Australia would continue "with additional talks on a five-year plan for Nauru".

"A five-year plan will provide the government certainty around planning and budgeting for the nation's future."

Comment was being sought from Mr Dutton.

During the visit, protesters rallied outside a restaurant in which Mr Dutton was having dinner with President Baron Waqa on Wednesday.

Refugee advocate Ian Rintoul said about 60 resettled refugees demonstrated outside the restaurant.

The protesters chanted: "Freedom, justice, shut down offshore (detention)".

Police quickly dispersed the refugees and no one was arrested.

Meanwhile, the Nauru government is working on an "open centre" arrangement for asylum seekers awaiting their refugee status determinations.

The first group of 20 asylum seekers to be allowed out into the community on February 25 will be women and children.

Mr Dutton said in a statement on Thursday "further developments" were on track, including a move to an open centre model.

"An open centre will give transferees more opportunities to engage with the Nauruan community before their refugee processing has been completed, allowing genuine refugees to ultimately integrate seamlessly into the community," the minister said.

"I expect open centre arrangements to be finalised very soon."

Since May 2014, 512 asylum seekers have received a refugee status determination from the Nauru government and more than 400 have been successfully settled into the community.