Family battles to find work in Australia

It was May last year when accountant Raycel Dy made the 5000km journey to Australia from her home in the Philippines in search of a better life for her family.

Now, 12 months on, the Mandurah mother-of-one said the family’s dreams had all but shattered after both husband and wife failed to find work in their fields of expertise.

Mrs Dy said she had sent out more than 100 job applications since arriving in the city last year, but despite more than 20 years experience and some high-profile credentials, she was yet to be invited to attend an interview.

She said she and her former business owner husband Andy had been forced to accept minimum-wage jobs just to make ends meet.

“I knew I would have to start at the bottom when I came to Australia and I was willing to do that, but I just want a chance to show what I can do,” Mrs Dy said.

“I have even applied for entry-level jobs in Mandurah, but have been unsuccessful.”

Mrs Dy said she was shocked at the harsh reality of migrant life as Australian Government advertising in Manila had led the couple to believe their skills were desperately needed.

She said the family had been sponsored under the Federal Government’s Region Sponsored Visa Subclass 475 program, which prevents migrants from working in metropolitan areas.

“We took care over our choice to move to Mandurah and researched thoroughly whether there were suitable jobs,” Mrs Dy said.

“We chose this area because there were jobs available.”

She said she and her husband were willing to make sacrifices for their three-year-old daughter Ranielle until they could look for work elsewhere.

Fellow skilled migrant Kelly Law, who has found herself in a similar predicament, said she did not want to believe migrants were being discriminated against, but employers often requested local experience, which was, of course, impossible.

Minister for Immigration Scott Morrison was contacted for comment.