As populations in the area continue booming, awareness is being drawn to difficulties immigrants face when trying to adjust to life in Australia.
More than 1000 immigrants shared their experiences as part of research commissioned by remittance company Ria Money Transfer, with issues adjusting to Australian culture and cost-of-living among the most common difficulties faced when assimilating.
The research findings reflect the cultural exchange occurring within Australia and give insight to the cultural enrichment the international-born population provides to Australia’s own landscape through their connections to home.
Part of this exchange is through the sharing of resources and remittances, with a third of immigrants sending money overseas an average of 14 times a year.
Ria Australia and New Zealand country manager Simon Wilding said the survey exposed the voices of the nation, even if they were not born here.
“While it was a surprise to see from these results that our unique Australianisms cause massive culture shock, unfortunately it’s not a surprise to hear that the cost-of-living crisis we’re all facing in this country is confronting to migrants,” he said.
“Australia is a popular country to migrate to, … so we really wanted to understand both the challenges and opportunities that people face when they move here.
“A lot of [immigrants’] experiences and struggles when they first moved to Australia are typically overlooked, so we wanted to shed some light on their stories and see their main challenges.”
According to the research, it takes an average expat 10 years to have a confident grasp on Australian slang, while 88 per cent of expats will experience an Australian custom like attending an AFL match in their first year of living here.
Two thirds of expats said cost-of-living concerns had impacted their ability to send money home, with almost half of remittances sent to support family with living expenses, followed closely by remittances serving as gifts.
An estimated $6.6 billion left Australia last year in a 24 per cent increase on the year before, however these figures are expected to balloon to $14.5 billion by 2028.
Mr Wilding said a key part of Ria’s operations was trust, helping give expats certainty in sending money overseas while living in Australia.
“Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, which makes remittances and money transfers a staple tool for Aussies to support extended families across the world financially,” he said.
“We don’t want customers to stress about sending money back to home because their families depend on it, so every day we’re brainstorming and talking about how we can make it faster, simpler and cheaper.”
