In 2025–26, RDA Riverina published the second edition of Skilled Migration Success Stories 2025, showcasing the experiences and contributions of skilled migrants who have established careers, families and community connections across the Riverina. The report was developed to recognise the importance of skilled migration in meeting business and workforce needs, while encouraging conversations about how regional communities can better welcome and support new residents.

Key Achievements:

• Published seven stories featuring skilled migrants living and working in Wagga Wagga, Temora and elsewhere across the Riverina region.
• Highlighted contributions across engineering, local government, information technology, health, disability support, automotive services and community development.
• Documented the different pathways through which migrants secured employment, changed careers and built regional lives.
• Showcased the role of regional employers, professional networks, community organisations and RDA Riverina programs in supporting settlement.
• Identified practical settlement challenges, including securing suitable housing, re-entering professional careers, finding employment for partners and developing social connections.
• Provided prospective migrants, employers and communities with real examples of regional migration outcomes.
• Created a resource that supports regional promotion while recognising the personal experiences behind workforce and population growth.

Demonstrated Regional Impact:

• Demonstrated how skilled migration helps regional employers fill workforce gaps and retain valuable professional capabilities.
• Showed that migrants contribute beyond their immediate employment through volunteering, cultural participation, community leadership and informal support networks.
• Highlighted how successful settlement strengthens families as well as workplaces and regional communities.
• Illustrated the importance of housing assistance, local information, professional connections and community participation in supporting retention.
• Provided evidence that regional opportunities can enable migrants to establish careers aligned with their qualifications or successfully transition into new fields.
• Presented skilled migrants as active contributors to the Riverina’s economic and social development, rather than solely as a response to labour shortages.

More Than Success Stories: 

The report details that successful regional migration involves more than securing a visa or filling a vacant position. The featured stories describe the practical work required to establish a life in a new community, including finding housing, rebuilding professional networks, supporting partners and children, adapting to regional life and developing a sense of belonging. These experiences reinforce the value of combining skilled migration pathways with practical settlement assistance, employer engagement and inclusive communities. They also provide authentic voices that can help prospective migrants understand the opportunities and realities of building a future in the Riverina region.

Lessons Learned:

• Skilled migration contributes to regional economies and communities as well as addressing immediate workforce shortages.
• Employment alone does not guarantee successful settlement or long-term retention.
• Housing, partner employment, local knowledge and social connection materially affect the relocation experience.
• Early support and referral to appropriate services can help newcomers navigate unfamiliar regional systems.
• Professional and community networks can help migrants re-establish careers and identify opportunities.
• Sharing authentic success stories can promote the Riverina while also identifying where further settlement support is required.
• Welcoming communities are an important part of attracting and retaining skilled workers and their families.