A working holiday visa holder who set up a furniture removals business and now earns $10,000 a week says it is unfair to blame immigrants like him for Australia’s housing crisis.
Francisco Bonifaz, 32, moved to Australia from Chile in early 2022 and set up a furniture removals business in Sydney before moving to the Gold Coast and employing people.
He was drawn to the Australian lifestyle, after working in marketing and sales with global food giant Unilever in Chile after graduating from university.
The Gold Coast reminded him of his coastal town of Viña del Mar, northwest of the capital Santiago, even though Australia’s east coast is much wetter.
“It’s similar: regular sunny days, good summer, good waves, good beaches, very beautiful,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Bonifaz, who also speaks Spanish, was also drawn to Australia’s more relaxed lifestyle after global Covid restrictions were lifted.
“Chile is very traditional and conservative, that’s why I always wanted to travel,” he said.
‘I heard a lot of good things about Australia and made the decision to come and see what it was like, without having an idea of what to do here.
“It was fantastic and I’m very happy here; I started looking for more opportunities.”
A working holiday visa holder who set up a furniture removals business earning $10,000 a week says it is unfair to blame immigrants like him for Australia’s housing crisis.
Francisco Bonifaz, 32, moved to Australia from Chile in 2021 and set up a furniture removals business in Sydney before moving to the Gold Coast.
He initially rented a Ford Transit van in January 2023 and set up a furniture removals business in Bondi, in Sydney’s east, for 11 months, before moving to the Gold Coast earlier this year.
Meanwhile, he worked as a barista making coffee while hotel companies struggled to hire staff.
Goat Removals Services now focuses on South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, moving furniture from the Sunshine Coast to Byron Bay.
After getting good reviews on Airtasker and Google, your business can now charge $150 per hour plus GST, generating between $7,000 and $10,000 a week in turnover.
The business was so successful that he was able to buy a Hino truck and a Mitsubishi Fuso, and employ six people, four of them full time.
While high immigration has been linked to Australia’s rental crisis, Bonifaz said long-term migrants like himself contribute to the economy.
“Many immigrants are good for the country because they have their knowledge and can demonstrate here that they are ready to grow Australia,” he said.
While high immigration has been linked to Australia’s rental crisis, Bonifaz (left with business partner Sergio Arze) said long-term immigrants like him contribute to the economy.
Bonifaz graduated in business administration from the Adolfo Ibáñez University, where he met Sergio Arze, 33, who now also runs the moving business with him, taking care of properly wrapping large items with blankets and straps.
‘They want to come here and do something good.
“The good thing about Australia is that it’s a country with opportunities; if you can see them, you can do something good.”
Bonifaz graduated in business administration from the Adolfo Ibáñez University in Santiago, where he met Sergio Arze, 33, who now also runs the moving business with him, taking care of properly wrapping large items with blankets and straps.
“We know the importance of taking care of your customers,” said Mr. Bonifaz.
“We know the moving business is very, very, very stressful when it comes to moving your stuff.”
Business partners hope that their good work will lead them to eventually become permanent residents.
“I would love to, but the problem with the visa is that it is not that easy,” he said.
Foreign nationals on a working holiday visa can set up a business in Australia as long as they register with an Australian company number and tax return number.
Long-term arrivals make up the majority of Australia’s immigration and the permanent component is now capped at 185,000.
In the year to July, 432,150 net migrants moved to Australia, with international students and working holidaymakers classified as long-term arrivals of at least 12 months.
