DAMA VISAS

WHAT IS A DAMA?

A DAMA is an employer-sponsored program that an individual worker cannot independently apply for. Only businesses that are actively operating in a ‘Regional’ area can access a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) in the occupations that are eligible for sponsorship in that region. Currently, there are 13 DAMA’s across Australia (click HERE for full details and more information).

DAMA’s allow employers to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers to fill labour shortages in a specific designated regional area with migrants who are approved for positions they are unable to fill with local workers.

Once the Business or Employer’s (DAMA) is approved they will be eligible to enter into a formal agreement with the Australian Government under a Labour Agreement (click HERE for more information) (Note, a regional business may already have an approved labour agreement in place, so this may not be necessary). 

A salary concession may be applied if the business has a strong case and can show that the salary offered to a prospective overseas worker is at least what an Australian citizen or permanent resident could expect doing the same job in the same location.

The Australian Designated Migration Area Agreement (DAMA) provides employers, the local government’s that administer them, and the states with flexibility to tailor labour agreements to specific skills shortages a region might be facing. These are becoming far more popular now as the 457 visa is gone but is preferred due to the way the agreement can be tailored for a region and industry.

DAMA’s actually ensure that employers have proven they have tried their best to find local talent as a first priority so this is a positive pathway for the overseas worker.

Designated Regional Areas

Most locations of Australia outside the major cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) are classed as ‘Designated Regional Areas’ for migration purposes.
(these are listed in the qualifying ‘Postcode’ areas HERE).

The Regional definition is comprised of 2 categories and offers regional incentives for skilled migrants who migrate to locations classified as Category 2 ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres’ or Category 3 ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’.

• Category 2 – ‘Cities and Major Regional Centres’ of Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra, Geelong and Hobart have access to the following regional incentives:
  • Priority processing of regional visas
  • Access to the Regional Occupations List – more jobs compared to non-regional lists
  • International graduates with a bachelor or higher qualification from a regional campus of a registered institution will be eligible to access additional year in Australia on a post-study work visa
• Category 3 – ‘Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’ (not mentioned in Category 2) will also have access to the dedicated 11,200 regional places, priority processing of regional visas, and the Regional Occupations List. Additional incentives include:
  • Priority in negotiating region-specific Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)

∗Concessions available:

• English language level
• Salary – TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold)
• Age
• Permanent Residency pathway and
• Skills & Experience

∗ denotes that each business must provide an evidence-based submission to the
Department of Home affairs to seek any of these approval. 

A great amount of expertise and skill is required by a migration agent to process a DAMA  application. However, with over 43 years’ of experience between both our Australian and United Kingdom professionals, ASC Migration is sure to enhance your migration matter.

Business – Employer? please complete the ‘NO-OBLIGATION FREE ASSESSMENT’ below and we will assess your eligibility within 1 business day..