ABSTRACT
Nacho migrated to Perth, Western Australia, in 1989 under a political refugee program together with his pregnant wife and three children aged seven, five and three. In El Salvador, Nacho had worked as an anaeshesiologist in a children’s hospital, and his wife had managed a small coffee shop. The refugee program included financial and practical support from the Australian government, in the form of housing, unemployment benefits and English classes. Nacho was informed that he needed to go back to university and pass English tests as a prerequisite for the recognition of his qualifications. Because his English was too poor and he needed money, Nacho renounced his profession and took a low-paid cleaning job while his wife stayed at home to look after the children. Later she also took a low-paid, part-time cleaning job that allowed her to care for her children after school, and Nacho became the (unpaid) pastor of a Spanish-speaking Church while still working as a part-time cleaner. His mother still lives in El Salvador and only receives a small pension that does not cover her expenses, and he manages to send her monthly remittances despite limited financial resources. Nacho is one of the few Salvadorans that I interviewed who communicates with his mother on the Internet. He chats with her every single day, and he also calls her on the phone three times a week because he likes to hear her voice. Mother and son exchange advice and emotional support at a distance. Nacho has never been able to visit or invite his mother and his half-brother. The reasons for this include, among other things, prohibitive costs, visa issues, and an inability to access long paid leave.
