Sometimes "Plan A" doesn't pan out; luckily, there are other letters in the alphabet to choose from.
"In 2016, we visited my wife's relatives in Sydney. We saw how life was there, so we thought of applying to migrate," Dante Carmen shares, adding, "I applied for a skilled visa, targeting Sydney; but I didn't get an invite. We needed another plan. I almost lost hope."
"I applied for a skilled visa, targeting Sydney; but I didn't get an invite. We needed another plan. I almost lost hope." Source: Pixabay
The decision to move
Hopelessness wasn't an option for Dante though who was living in Saudi Arabia with his wife and two young sons.
"I worked in Saudi Arabia since 2011 as an external auditor. That's where I met my wife and we had our boys. Life was okay; but till today, Saudi Arabia continues to be a closed country. Women and children aren't allowed to go out on their own and, there is no freedom of religion," he shares, adding, "We realised our boys didn't have the same freedom as they would have in Australia or even the Philippines."
The pull of freedom was still too strong to ignore despite the disappointment of being denied Sydney; so, Dante decided to take another route to be granted residency in Australia.
"We realised our boys didn't have the same freedom as they would have in Australia or even the Philippines." Source: AAP/Tracey Nearmy
"I did my research and I realised that the point system was getting more difficult to meet. I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to make a move. I read that the Northern Territory (NT) was sponsoring skilled workers."
From finding out about this option, Dante decided to do the work needed to move his young family to Australia.
After accumulating enough "show money" for a year, Dante wrote the required essay to move to NT. The NT government requires the essay as proof that comprehensive research about the state was done.
"I wrote what I learned about the school system, healthcare and job opportunities in NT. I wrote about what I expected when I arrived, and why Darwin was a fit for our family. It was detailed. I even had footnotes."
The NT government requires the essay as proof that comprehensive research about the state was done. Source: picjumbo.com from Pexels
It took Dante three months to collate all the necessary documents for their application and another six months for the invitation to arrive.
While he initially applied for a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) which immediately granted them permanent residency, Dante was informed that the quota had been reached for the said visa.
"I was told that all that could be offered was a Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), a temporary visa. We can apply for permanent residency after two years. It was okay - at least, it was our way into Australia. "
"It was okay - at least, it was our way into Australia." Source: Catarina Sousa
Simple gestures of friendship
Before making their way to Australia, Dante admits he was happy to find out that Filipinos make up the highest number of migrants in the NT. He reached out to some of them through the forum, .
"I was a member and then became an administrator of the forum. One of the Filipinos I met through there was in Darwin before we arrived six months ago. Our families met and he introduced us to their other friends from Couples for Christ (CFC). We eventually joined the group."
Dante shares that another Filipino he met online introduced him to their friends as well, adding, "Their support helped a lot. He invited us to the birthday of one of his kids. It was a simple thing, but it helped a lot. My wife still doesn't have work, so she was so bored during our first few weeks. Now, we're always so busy. We have so many activities with new friends."
Some members of Couples for Christ - Australia Source: Couples for Christ Australia Facebook
To live and work
In as much as Dante found luck when it comes to new friendships, he was also very fortunate with work.
"I found work two days after we landed. The company I worked for in Saudi had a branch in Darwin, so I reached out. They had no openings then, but a manager sent my CV to people he knew," he shares.
Dante admits that he's very lucky to find work, considering a lot of new migrants have a difficult time with it; but, he also says that he was mentally prepared to accept whatever job was offered to him.
Dante and his family moved from Saudi Arabia to Darwin. Source: Pixabay
Aside from employment, what Darwin offered the Carmen family was a "laid-back, provincial lifestyle" that they were accustomed to.
"Darwin's a fit for me and my family. We're used to the quiet, to less crowds and no traffic," he says, adding, "We're also used to this kind of weather - it's similar to the Philippines. It's actually cooler than what we're used to in Saudi. It's manageable."
And for this new Territorian, managing the weather and life as a whole have a lot to do with one's expectations and ability to create new plans when others fail to come to fruition.
Managing the weather and life as a whole have a lot to do with one's expectations and ability to create new plans when others fail to come to fruition. Source: Pixabay
Although Dante and his family initially dreamed of moving to Sydney, he's grateful that fate brought them to the NT.
"Sydney wasn't given to us; but honestly, we just wanted to move to Australia. If we were able to move to Sydney but I wasn't able to find work because of the competition, then I still won't have peace of mind," he shares, adding, "It's getting harder to get the Australian dream these days. Darwin gave us that. We're happy and grateful that we're here."
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