Hard Work, Resilience, and Gratitude for Australia

This is my story about the struggles of being a qualified immigrant in this country.

I want to acknowledge that every migration story is different. We could have 99 things in common, but the one thing we don’t can make all the difference.

As some of you know, my husband and I came from Colombia to Australia in February 2016 with the dream of improving our language skills and having better job prospects when we returned to our home country. However, we quickly became amazed by the Australian culture and slowly started to build our lives here, extending our stay visa by visa.

We fell into the myth that our skills were in demand. Yes, it is true that they are, but the problem is that not everyone trusts that a qualified foreign professional will have the skills required to fulfill Australian roles. Employers ask for “Australian experience,” they doubt you when they hear the accent in your voice, and they question your degrees if they are from a university they haven’t heard of. As a mechanical engineer, most of the jobs I applied for required Australian citizenship because they were in the defence sector. This left me with very limited options.

Do you know what I had to do to have my engineering degree recognised in Australia? I had to demonstrate that I had successfully completed three different projects and had shown 72 skills and 16 competencies in each of them. These ranged from technical knowledge and skills to application, ability, and professional and personal attributes. Basically, I had to show not only that I had the knowledge, but also that I knew how to apply it and interact with people in a professional setting. Even then, many Australian companies preferred to hire less qualified professionals simply because they were Australian.

During almost half the time I’ve been in this country, I worked in underpaid jobs or those without many benefits. I worked in cleaning and hospitality, very late nights, sometimes overnight, and very early mornings. I had to smile and look the other way when patrons thought it was funny to mock my accent or ask if I had “things” to sell them just because I’m from Colombia.

I’m fully aware that my journey is a bit different, as midway through I decided to change my career. My values, skills, and perspective of the world shifted, and I moved away from engineering. I became involved in the social enterprise community in Adelaide and connected with people who made me feel welcome. However, I had to start from the bottom again. Even though I hold a full engineering degree, a VET diploma in project management, an MBA, and a Master in Global Project Management, I still had to demonstrate almost daily that I had the right skills to be in my role. I thought this was just part of my changing career path, but it never felt right that some colleagues were trusted more simply because of their English, even though they didn’t have the same experience or education I did.

So, NO!! We’re not taking your jobs. We’re working hard to live a better life and to contribute to the Australian economy: by paying huge visa application fees, paying taxes, paying for our medical bills, and paying for education that sometimes costs three times more than local fees so locals can afford their own education. And we’re working in jobs that many Australians wouldn’t do.

I hesitated to share this reflection because of Australia’s recent anti-immigration marches. It is scary to feel vulnerable, and it is very sad that my recent permanent residency celebrations have been overshadowed by the reality that there is still too much hate and racism in this country.

Despite the challenges, I hold deep gratitude for the life I’ve built in Australia. This country has given me the chance to find a chosen family, to connect with communities that share my values, and to live a purpose-driven life. It has offered me opportunities to grow beyond what I ever imagined, to travel and see the world with new eyes, and to embrace experiences that continue to shape who I am. For all of this, I will always be thankful.

Not just luggage, these suitcases carry stories of sacrifice, ambition, and belonging.

Note: This is not intended as a political statement. It simply coincides with the timing of my recent permanent residency grant, which unfortunately happened at the same time that anti-immigration marches were taking place in Australia. This is not a new issue we face as migrants, it is merely bad timing that highlights an ongoing challenge.