Wiam’s story

12 June 2007, 02:03PM

I dream that my children will be able to go to university like everyone else. In Brisbane, when I enrolled at TAFE, in an interview they asked to see my visa, they looked confused and went away for half an hour. During this time I saw all my dreams of studying and learning falling apart. I don't want this for my children.

We were afraid to go to the United Nations in Jordan because the Iraq Government had spies watching the UN building, catching many and forcibly returning them to Iraq.

We couldn't get all the family passports at once, it would be too suspicious, so we had to split the family. While we were waiting for the passports, we couldn't go out in the streets anywhere together, it was too dangerous.

We left with only a small bag each, my mother, my brother, my two children and I and another woman and her son.

Wiam's photo story

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The feeling driving through the Jordanian checkpoint was indescribable. I couldn't speak; I just kept taking very deep breaths. We went from Amman to India, there we found a people smuggler. We had no idea where we would end up. The smuggler controlled our destination. The smuggler offered us no choice in this, but of course we wanted to be together.

"My other sister left a long time before we did and the smuggler took her to Sweden. The smuggler wouldn't allow her to bring her children, and her husband couldn't leave Iraq at this time. My sister got permanency within three days of arriving in Sweden, and then applied to bring her husband and three children to join her, and within one year they were together."

Wiam

It was actually a huge relief to get to the safety of the detention centre. There was nothing to do there so we could begin to recover and we had the feeling that everything was going to be fine, thinking of the new life ahead, my children in university in the future.

They called our numbers very early in the morning (everyone knew if they called numbers at this time it was for visas).

My greatest fear is that I will be sent back. For cultural and traditional reasons, as a single mother it would be very difficult for me, and it would greatly affect my children too.

I was hoping for an end to the Temporary Protection Visa. When people started getting letters, and they began interviewing people, I began to have more hope. But it's very slow, we wait and hope, it's all about hope, that's all we have. It's very hard to wait for something so important to your life, but we have no choice.

"Memories of home are with my five sisters - we would talk until the sun came up. Just to be together."

Wiam

Find out more

• Download Wiam's story (pdf size: 236kb)
• Read other refugees' stories
• Find out more about the Unfair Shores Campaign Kit

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