‘The ‘PR’ dream keeps me going’

For a few hours each week, Winston Chauhan trains to be a horticulturist at a Melbourne college. By night, he mans the counter at a 711 store in Melbourne. It’s a job that pays him a little less than the minimum wage, but he’s not complaining. In this recessionary environment, just having a casual job is a blessing.

Chauhan came to Australia from Nadiad (in Gujarat) two years ago, but changed streams because he realised that a horticulture diploma would give him a better shot at securing a PR (permanent residence), which is based on, among other things, a specialised skill that Australia needs.

“It isn’t really about getting an education,” he concedes. “All I’m working towards is getting a PR… I’m told that after I complete my programme, I can apply provided I secure a 7-band score in the English proficiency test (IELTS), and have 900 hours’ work experience.”

Even the work experience certificate can be “managed”, he says. By that, he implies that it can be procured for a price — a practice that’s common among some immigration agents, who help the students fake everything from qualification certificates to academic grades.

Chauhan works all night and heads for his home in the suburbs early in the morning. He’s saving up whatever he earns after sending some money back home.  “My only dream is to get a PR… After that, life is made,” he says.

It’s the same dream that lures tens of thousands of Indians from small towns and villages, particularly in Punjab and Gujarat.