In 2006, I arrived in Australia from Sri Lanka as an international student. I didn’t have a guide. I didn’t know the system. I figured it out — step by step, visa by visa — and I built a life there over the next 20 years.

I know what it feels like to wait on a decision that changes everything — and not know what comes next.

I know the anxiety that builds while you hold your breath for an outcome.

I know what your family is worried about when you tell them you’re moving to Australia.

And I know the joy of finally making it — because I lived every part of that journey myself.