Nauru asylum seeker treated in Brisbane

An asylum seeker who set himself alight in a protest on Nauru is being treated at a Brisbane hospital.

Still from a video showing the man setting himself alight in Australian immigration detention on Nauru. Source: SBS

An Iranian asylum seeker who suffered serious burns after setting himself alight in a protest on Nauru is being treated in Brisbane.

The 23-year-old arrived at Brisbane Airport on Thursday afternoon and was transferred to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

Asylum-seeker advocates have begun gathering outside the hospital in support of the man, who is known as Omid.

He set himself alight on Wednesday while officials from the United Nations refugee agency were on the island.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton initially said the asylum seeker would be transferred to Australia for medical treatment on Wednesday night, describing his outlook as "not very good at all".

The Nauru government tweeted that he was flown from the island at noon, local time, on Thursday.

AAP has contacted Immigration Department for comment.