Migrant Stories
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Muhammad Akram's Story
- Occupation:
- Research Fellow
- Immigrated from:
- Pakistan
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"Now my family lives here, my family are very happy, and I am very happy."
-
John Bae's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owner
- Immigrated from:
- South Korea
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"I knew a few people in Australia. Even before I moved here I talked to them on the phone or when they came to Korea. I loved the lifestyle immediately - it's so relaxed and friendly. I was also impressed with the quality of education."
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Sam Huang's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owner
- Immigrated from:
- Taiwan
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"We found Melbourne very welcoming and Mei's brother and his friends kept telling us what a good place it was to bring up children. They said it was a good environment, with fresh air and clean water, and not stressful, which was very important to us."
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Rudi Webel's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owner
- Immigrated from:
- South Africa
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"We loved Johannesburg - it's a beautiful place - but the crime really got to us. It was out of control. It directly affected our business and members of our family, and we decided enough was enough."
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Eoghan Brownen's Story
- Occupation:
- Secondary School Teacher
- Immigrated from:
- Ireland
- Settled in:
- Geelong, South West Victoria
"I called the Victorian Government's Skilled Migration Program and was able to speak to someone straightaway - it was amazing. She really helped me through the process."
-
Rajan Gautam's Story
- Occupation:
- Research and Development Purchasing Officer
- Immigrated from:
- India
- Settled in:
- Shepparton, North East Victoria
"My wife and I were looking for a better way of life and planning to have a family. My aunt and uncle kept telling us the standard of living here in Victoria was very good."
-
Ahsan Ullah's Story
- Occupation:
- Chef
- Immigrated from:
- Bangladesh
- Settled in:
- Ballarat, West Victoria
"People are very friendly and this is the important thing. When my wife goes out with my son and she may not understand English very well but people are very happy to talk to her."
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Richard Downes's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owner
- Immigrated from:
- United Kingdom
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"It was so beautiful. It just felt like home. The attitude to life is different here - it's just as professional as the UK but it's more relaxed in the way people go about things. There's less pretense."
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Michael Hoffmann's Story
- Occupation:
- Chief Information Officer
- Immigrated from:
- United States
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"I took a three-month trip backpacking through Australia in 1987 and decided straight away I'd like to live here some time."
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Bob Viner's Story
- Occupation:
- Carpenter
- Immigrated from:
- United Kingdom
- Settled in:
- Geelong, South West Victoria
"We wanted a new lease of life, something different. We were living in Hampshire in England and I was travelling to London every day for work - two hours travel each way. Now I travel about 20 minutes and there's no traffic. It's amazing."
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Lakshman Ratnayake's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owner
- Immigrated from:
- Sri Lanka
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"It's welcoming, peaceful and multicultural with so much to offer in the way of work and business opportunities."
-
Iris Liao's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owner
- Immigrated from:
- China
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"Everybody says Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world and we wanted to see it for ourselves. One of the main reasons we chose Melbourne was for our daughter because we felt the education system was very attractive with many good universities."
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Naveed Ali Khan's Story
- Occupation:
- Chef
- Immigrated from:
- Pakistan
- Settled in:
- Wangaratta, North East Victoria
"I was very excited to come because my brother was already living here. He said it was a good place to live - good income, good career opportunities and a good place to bring up a family."
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Lourdes Serios's Story
- Occupation:
- Registered Nurse
- Immigrated from:
- Philippines
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"I absolutely love my nursing job. I came as an international student, it was a great opportunity for me. I loved meeting the many students of all different backgrounds and now I love working with my new Southern Health family."
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Laura-lee Innes's Story
- Occupation:
- Chemical Engineer
- Immigrated from:
- Canada
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"There's so much on, whether it's music, theatre or sports. Pretty much every day there's something happening if you want to go to it."
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Nadeem Hussain's Story
- Occupation:
- Environment Protection Officer
- Immigrated from:
- Pakistan
- Settled in:
- Wangaratta, North East Victoria
"I liked Melbourne immediately. It is a beautiful city - the way it is laid out, designed and how it functions."
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Rachel and Semir Mustovic's Story
- Occupation:
- Business Owners
- Immigrated from:
- United Kingdom
- Settled in:
- Melbourne, Victoria
"Rachel had spent six years in Africa including two years teaching in Tanzania. In the long-term we couldn't see ourselves having a family or the lifestyle we wanted in the UK because we are both very outdoor people."
Victoria
Migration tools
Last updated: 02 November 2009
State Government of Victoria