What is a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)
A DAMA is a formal agreement between the Australian Government, represented by the Department of Home Affairs and a state Government, in this case, the South Australian Government.
The DAMA enables employers that meet certain requirements to sponsor overseas skilled workers for positions that are listed on their specific occupation list. Employers are required to prove that they have tested the local market and that there are no local workers available to fill the position(s).
The South Australian Government (Department of State Development) has two DAMAs:
Adelaide City Agreement
The Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement DAMA has been designed to address skills shortages across the Adelaide Metropolitan region. This DAMA is focused in the defence, space, and advanced manufacturing and technology industries.
South Australian Agreement
The South Australian Regional Workforce DAMA has been designed to address skills shortages across the entire state of South Australia.
The Designated Area Representative (DAR) can endorse nominations for the following visa subclasses under the Labour Agreement stream:
- Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)
- Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa
- Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme
The application process
The application process for a South Australian DAMA includes 4 steps, which are outlined below:
- Designated Area Representative (DAR) Endorsement: application made by the sponsor with the South Australian Government
- DAMA Labour Agreement Request: application made by the sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs
- Nomination: application made by the sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs
- Visa Application: application made by the visa applicant with the Department of Home Affairs
Requirements for DAR Endorsement
Employers (sponsors) must meet certain eligibility requirements in order to obtain DAR endorsement. The most critical are outlined below:
- Sponsor must be actively and lawfully operating in the designated area for more than 12 months (and be financially viable)
- Sponsor must be the direct employer
- Position available must be permanent and full-time
- Duties must align with the nominated occupation
- Nominee (overseas worker) must receive an annual base salary of at least $76,515 AUD (TSMIT)*Concessions available for particular occupations
- Sponsor must demonstrate that the position is genuine and that there are no Australian citizens or permanent residents available to fill the position (Labour Market Testing)
For further information about these requirements, click here
Concessions
The DAMA identifies the challenges that businesses may face when trying to source workers from the local Australian labour market. Highly-specialised positions require applicants to hold skills and experience that are not available in the market or in some cases, local workers are not willing to work at regional locations due to various factors including increased living costs, limited access for family to schooling/university, limited transport network to an isolated location. Known skills shortages have been identified in regional locations that need to be addressed by the Government to ensure basic needs are covered. To facilitate the process and as a recognition of these challenges, the DAMA provides concessions from the general immigration requirements that include:
- Work experience concessions
- English language concessions
- Permanent Residence Pathways
- Age criteria concessions (up to 55 years old)
- A 10% reduction of the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), currently set at $76,515
- Access for Employers to occupations that may not be on the Skilled Occupation List, identified as critically required for a specific regional location.
All the above-mentioned concessions are occupation-based. As such, concessions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Updates to the South Australia DAMAs
Program extension
The South Australia DAMAs have been extended until 30 June 2026. The South Australian Government plans to negotiate a new five-year statewide DAMA with the Commonwealth Government in 2025–26.
Concessions remain in place
South Australia has also retained the age concession of up to 55 years, a 10% reduction to the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), as well as English and work experience concessions.
Reduction of work experience requirement for 482 visa holders applying for Permanent Residency
The pathway to permanent residency for Skills in Demand (SID) 482 visa holders has been reduced from three to two years. These visa holders can now apply for the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) 186 visa after holding the 482 visa for a period of two years.
Removal of access for occupations listed on Industry Labour Agreements
From 1 July 2025, occupations listed on specific Industry Labour Agreements can no longer be utilised under the South Australian DAMA program if the occupation is also available on an Industry Labour Agreement.
As an example, Aged Care providers will be unable to access certain occupations under the South Australian DAMA program, instead, they will need to utilise the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement (ACILA) or alternative programs such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
