Salvadoran Australian

Salvadoran Australian (Spanish: Salvadoreño-australiano) is an Australian who has Salvadoran ancestry. The entry of Salvadorans in Australia is caused by economic and political problems. The largest immigration happened when people left El Salvador as refugees because of the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s. The first group of Salvadorans were former political prisoners who came under the Special Humanitarian Program in 1983. After this first group of 75 people, another 10,000 Salvadorans came to Australia by 1986. Subsequent groups came -not from El Salvador- but from third countries like Mexico and Costa Rica that housed Salvadoran refugees.^[2] Most Salvadoran-born Australians came prior to 2001; little migration from El Salvador to Australia existed after the civil war.^[3] The majority of Salvadorians that live in Australia are of white and mestizo ancestry. The largest percentage of Salvadorans in Australia live in Melbourne^[4]- 32% in Melbourne, 21% in Brisbane and 18% reside in Sydney.^[5]

Census data records that 25% work in managerial or professional roles. A further 23% work in production, transport and trades; 20% are labourers. Many migrants from El Salvador are skilled workers, but their lack of English has forced them to take unskilled jobs. Over 92% still speak Spanish at home, and the majority are Catholic. Evangelical born again Christians of Salvadoran descent have increasing numbers.^[6]

Recent estimates put the Salvadorian population as high as 18,755.^[7]

Race and ethnicity

Much of the Salvadoran population that came to Australia are of mixed European, Native American ancestry. The Salvadorans of mixed ancestry, can vary differently with European , Native American, West African.The black population is nearly nonexistent.The majority of the population is either mestizo or white. The Indigenous Salvadorans only form one percent of the population and are mostly of Pipil and Lenca ancestries; some are Mayan.

Many of the biracial mixed and White Caucasian Salvadorans and other Central Americans have ancestry from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Jews and other European countries that arrived in all parts of El Salvador during the World War Two as refugees with the help of José Castellanos Contreras.

See also

• Salvadoran American
• Latin American Australian

References

Salvadoran diaspora Australia Belize Canada Mexico United States Guatemala

Latin American Australians Central American Salvadoran South American Argentine Brazilian Chilean Colombian Ecuadorian Peruvian Uruguayan Venezuelan