Moving to Canberra a ‘dream come true’ but skilled migrants face unique struggle

Joyce Abcede, 40, and Bryan Aquino, 39, gave up a lot to move to Canberra from the Philippines last year.

They left behind a house, car, established careers and social networks to give their future children a better life.

“We came to an empty apartment [and] we were sleeping on the carpet,” Ms Abcede said.

Population growth

The couple are just two of 9651 people to move to Canberra in the 2022-23 financial year, according to newly released Australian of Bureau Statistics data.

Of that, 88 per cent was due to overseas migration.

Canberra’s population is now 451,691 people, while Queanbeyan has 62,501 residents.

Capital cities in Australia grew by 3 per cent, and regional Australia by 1.4 per cent.

More people left Canberra to live elsewhere in Australia, than vice versa.

Net internal migration – how many people came or left domestically – was negative in every capital city except Perth and Brisbane.

While most overseas migrants opted for big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, Ms Abcede and Mr Aquino knew Canberra was the place for them.

‘Dream come true’

Ms Abcede’s sister lives in the capital, so they had visited many times.

“Canberra is actually a dream come true for us because we like how peaceful and quiet it is, but at the same time you can enjoy quality of life,” Ms Abcede said.

The small-town feel is a welcome reprieve from the busy, metro life they had in the Philippines, Mr Aquino said.

“Everyone’s so nice. Even though even you’re walking on the streets, everyone is greeting you,” he said.

“Every day, you’re like in a vacation.”

Growth by suburb

The pair live in Gungahlin, which gained 153 residents in 2023.

Northside suburbs Strathnairn and Taylor grew more than anywhere else in the country.

Strathnairn grew by 50 per cent (530 people), and Taylor by 46 per cent (1200 people).

Denman Prospect was close behind, growing by 20 per cent with 700 new residents.

Taylor had the largest internal migration gain in the city – that is people moving from other parts of Australia, while Belconnen had the most new residents from overseas.

Unused skills?

Ms Abcede and Mr Aquino are on regional skilled work visas.

They said they faced a unique struggle finding jobs in Canberra.

In 2021, 36 per cent of employed people worked in the public sector.

However, the Australian Public Service will not employ non-citizens unless it is approved by an agency head.

Mr Aquino, who works in customer service, spent months looking for a full-time job when he first arrived in Australia.

He is now happy working for ActewAGL.

Ms Abcede has had a career in human resources. She works remotely.

Ms Abcede said many roles required Australian work experience.

Much of that is expected to come from skilled migration.

Big dreams

Mr Aquino and Ms Abcede have big dreams for their lives in Canberra.

After they gain residency, they want to start a family and buy a house.

In the meantime, there is one thing the couple can do.

“We are in [the] process of getting married, we want to get married here in Canberra,” Ms Abcede said.

“We want to do it here because we found Canberra as our new home [and we are] definitely not looking back.”

I am City reporter at The Canberra Times. I previously covered health for the masthead, and was a trainee before that. I have written on courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. [email protected].

I am City reporter at The Canberra Times. I previously covered health for the masthead, and was a trainee before that. I have written on courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. [email protected].