​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Designated area migration agreements proposed changes

A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is a formal agreement between the Australian Government and a state or territory government or regional authority. It provides access to more occupations than the standard skilled migration program. DAMAs operate under an agreement-based framework, providing flexibility for regions to respond to their unique economic and labour market conditions.

A DAMA is a two-tier framework covering a defined regional area. The first tier is an overarching five-year deed of agreement (head agreement) with the region’s representative. The second tier comprises individual labour agreements with employers under the settings of the head agreement for that region.

DAMA head agreements are between the Australian Government and a Designated Area Representative (DAR) (usually state or territory governments or regional bodies such as Chambers of Commerce, Regional Development Australia offices, or local government councils). ​They contain a range of occupations as well as agreed terms and concessions to skilled visa eligibility criteria, as negotiated between parties. Once a DAMA head agreement is established, businesses in the region may seek individual DAMA labour agreements under the head agreement terms and available concessions.

The department is currently supporting the transition to state and territory-led DAMAs.

Individual DAMA labour agreements are between the Australian Government and endorsed employers/businesses operating within the relevant designated region. They:

• are generally in effect for five years, and

• use the subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID)​, subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional), and subclass 186 Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS) visa programs.

Employers must seek and gain endorsement from the DAR before lodging a labour agreement request online through ImmiAccount. The online form in ImmiAccount outlines the requirements and supporting documentation required for labour agreement requests. A DAMA will not be endorsed where the industry is covered by an Industry Labour Agreement, which includes fixed agreement terms.

Where a DAMA labour agreement is approved, the business will be able to nominate and sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers for certain occupations (each DAMA head agreement covers a specified range of occupations).

DAMAs ensure employers recruit Australian citizens and permanent residents as a first priority. Among other things, employers must demonstrate a genuine attempt to recruit Australians prior to accessing a DAMA labour agreement.

Photo by Jackie Alexander on Unsplash