Marrying and migrating ... you have to work at it (video)

produced by the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in 1995 (ISBN: 0644475986)

Filipino women in Australia have a reputation of being mail-order brides among the Australian population although the concept is not really realistic. A few of them have indeed met their husbands online but they were not picked from a catalogue. This is why the reputation is very much unfair and reeks of prejudice.

The more I learned about education of migrants in Australia, the more I learn about the Filipinos who have come before me. Things may be difficult now for a new migrant like me but things were a lot more difficult 14 years ago when this video was produced.

"Marrying and migrating to Australia" is a thirty-minute video designed for Filipino women who are coming to Australia to be with their Australian husbands. It is an account of several women who are happy and sad about migrating to this country and all of them have experienced a lot of difficulties adjusting to this vast country with very few people compared to the Philippines.

I strongly recommend that all Filipino women and Australian men to watch this video before making that huge leap integrating both cultures in to their lives. The stories may be old but they are still very relevant