“Victoria is a multicultural society - be open minded and take the opportunity to learn from other cultures.”
Nimitha Saji, a mental health clinician from Kerala, moved to Warrnambool in March 2025 to take the next step in her career. After completing her Master’s degree in Social Work in 2022, Nimitha began her career in social work focusing on youth mental health, supporting parents of children with developmental needs and running community awareness programs.
In choosing where to settle in Victoria, Nimitha actively sought opportunities in regional areas, preferring a slower paced environment that would allow her time to learn and develop her skills while making a meaningful contribution and positively impacting people’s lives. While preparing to relocate to regional Victoria, she was offered a role with South West Healthcare, an organisation that provides specialist treatment and recovery oriented services for people living with mental illness.
Now part of a team that supports individuals on their recovery journey and offers long-term case management, Nimitha reflects “I realised how impactful this role is and how much change we can bring to people's lives”.
Her move was supported by the Rural Workforce Agency, who provided a relocation allowance and helped her settle in. “The person assigned to help me was really helpful. She organised my accommodation, sorted the utilities and even helped me with shopping when I first arrived. It made the whole process so much easier”.
Outside of work, Nimitha enjoys spending time at the beach and hopes to learn how to surf. She has found the slower pace of life in Warrnambool refreshing saying, “the streets are not busy, so I can just walk wherever I need to go” and that it has helped her maintain a healthy work life balance.
With help from a migration agent, Nimitha found the state nomination process for her Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) easy to navigate. She received her visa in November 2024 - much quicker than she expected. Nimitha encourages her friends on their migration journey, “Victoria is a multicultural society, be open minded and take the opportunity to learn from other cultures”.