Discussion of skilled migration often focuses on skill shortages and global labour market trends, with little attention directed to the individual experiences of the migrants themselves. ‘Divina’ is a migrant nurse who left her home country of the Philippines to gain work in Australia. In the process of this migration, Divina was drawn into a complex web of co-ethnic relationships with migration intermediaries that shaped much of her experiences with respect to entry and employment in Australia. Her story highlights how migration intermediaries can exacerbate the precarious and vulnerable position of skilled migrants. The dangers are particularly striking for those migrating from non-English-speaking and/or developing nations, where vulnerabilities can be entrenched by ‘trusting’ co-ethnic relations forged between sending and receiving countries.
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