Where does the money go?
Mohammed Ali, Pakistan
Wherever possible, Mohammed Ali (31) tries to avoid sending money home through the main money transfer services. The last time the Dublin-based Pakistani tried to send €200 to his sister-in-law in Karachi via Western Union, the transaction was suspended because, he was told, his name matched that of an international terrorist. After providing additional evidence of his identity, the funds were released several days later.
"I thought it was a joke at the start," Ali recalls. "Then I told my wife, and she started crying. She was scared and didn't know what the consequences would be. I am a Muslim. I was also worried about what might happen to us. My wife is expecting another child in a few weeks."
A spokeswoman for Western Union said it faces a legal requirement to screen all money transactions against lists of names of persons identified as being linked with terrorism and other illegal activity. This list is supplied by the US Treasury's office of foreign assets control, the EU and other government and law enforcement agencies.
Nowadays, when his family needs money, Mohammed Ali provides for it to be withdrawn from a bank account he has set up at home in Pakistan.
"If, for example, someone needs to go into hospital, I just ring my mother and she can take money from my account. Luckily, I am friends with my bank manager and he knows my family," he says.
Leonvina Bolanos, Philippines
The first thing Leovina Bolanos (48) does when she receives her monthly pay cheque from the Mater hospital is to send a portion of it to her family at home. Bolanos, who is living in Dublin with her husband and 15-year-old son, still has family members living at home near Lucena city in the Philippines.
"This month I sent 600 to my daughter, who is 25. She can't come over here because she was unable to get a visa. I also send money to my parents and help to pay for the education of two other children at home."
Bolanos says she typically sends between €500 and 1,000 home, depending on the demands from home.
"When I send 500, it's not too much of a burden. But if I send more, it can be difficult. My rent is almost €1,000, and I also have to pay bills and loans, so there's often not much left."
She says she doesn't spend money in restaurants or pubs, preferring to socialise in friends' houses and at home.
"Things are easier now that my husband is here and earning money as a security guard. I have even been able to do some tours around Europe," she says.
While she likes living in Ireland, she is considering moving to another jurisdiction where the family would be in a position to save more money.
"The people are nice and polite here, but the cost of living here is very expensive and the taxes are high."
Mudashir Ibrahim, Nigeria
Together with his brothers and sisters, who are also migrant workers, Mudashir Ibrahim (36) sends a monthly remittance home to help look after his mother and father in Nigeria.
"Other members of the family have sent money home from abroad and now it is my turn," Ibrahim says. "The amount I send back varies, depending on the circumstances of their lives. They might need hospital treatment, they might need repairs done to their house. Most months I send back around €200."
His parents are relatively well off compared with many Nigerians. They have a private pension, although high inflation means it disappears all too quickly.
He does not use the hawala system (see main article) and finds the wire services to be generally safe and reliable, if expensive.
"I know many people send money home with a relative or someone from the community who is going home, but I am willing to pay for the service," he says. "It's the most appropriate way to send money. And they receive it in just a few hours."
For Ibrahim, a financial analyst with IBM, and his siblings, helping their parents is a family duty which they are proud to carry out.
"We all take it in turns. If I was sick or out of a job, another family member would take over," he says.