Three heel taps to the land of Melbourne

“Melbourne Skyline River View” Photo taken by Denise J.

In the search for the ‘Top 5 Exemplar Immigration Cities in the World” - I would have to place Melbourne at the top of my list.

The city itself does have a reputation for being culturally diverse, having an influx of immigration throughout the years and after completing further research, found that there are a multitude of resources that can be useful for immigrants and newcomers.

“Melbourne Skyline River View” Photo taken by Denise J.

As a Canadian, one would think that Toronto or Vancouver would be at the top of my list, but due to second-hand personal experience, along with my research - Melbourne proved to be a very strong contender.

Majority of my mother’s side is still residing within the Philippines and after my sister had passed, it was our duty to ensure that her children were taken care of. By those means, we wanted to bring my sister’s eldest daughter to Calgary for post-secondary education. It proved to be fairly complicated to do so. Education requirements, funding, visa applications - oh my! Just as Dorothy was lost in Oz, my mother and I were lost with all the policies and processes that were required before immigration.

Luckily, my niece's grandfather was able to help her with a Student Visa application to live, learn and work within Australia - more specifically Melbourne. Within months and right about the time my niece graduated from highschool, she was able to move to Australia and start her post secondary education.

We called her everyday and was happy to learn that she was finding it easy to belong. She found a part-time job easily and said that because of the strong Filipino communities, she was able to find friends quite quickly!

This story goes to show that a common barrier that immigrants and newcomers face are indeed the systemic policies and processes that are put in place. It also shows how much the communities of cultures that are formed within cities play a vital role in the integration and belonging of newcomers and immigrants.

With these factors in mind, I do hope that more immigrants and newcomers consider tapping their heels to the wonderful land of Melbourne.

-MJ L.-