OUR MIGRATION JOURNEY kicked off when my wife and I decided to develop our careers further with an international experience.We met all the requirements for Australia’s skilled migration program, so it was just a matter of waiting for our permanent residency to be processed before departing for the land down under. Our previous experience in the resources sector was very valuable and just a few weeks after leaving Brazil, I was fortunate enough to be offered a job at BHP Billiton in Perth. Starting our journey
with one of the country’s biggest companies set us up for a smooth beginning, even with the countless migration settlement challenges. Despite a lack of confidence with the language, distance from friends
and family members, and the feeling of helplessness in an unfamiliar environment, we were welcomed with open arms. We developed new relationships with co-workers, sports club mates, church friends, and our kids’ friends’ parents – without which we would not have built our new references. We quickly became aware of what a privilege living in this uniquely great country was, and learned completely new concepts (for us) such as ‘secularism’, ‘egalitarianism’, and ‘accountability for tax-payer money’. Feeling fortunate and privileged, we believed it was our duty to put our skills to work for others. Roughly four years after starting our consulting firm, we have been able to employ 40 people during this time. We have also been recognised by the WA professional community as a company leader in Human Resources Excellence. A
sincere thank you to those who believed in our dream and trusted our capabilities.
Written by Wilson Casada