Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)
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 overseas workers 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
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, an
- use the subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS), subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional), and subclass 186 Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS) visa programs
Where a DAMA labour agreement is approved, the business will be able tonominat andsponsoskilled and semi-skilled overseas workers for certain occupations (each DAMA head agreement covers a specified range of occupations)
Existing Australian Government Approved DAMAs
There are currently 13 DAMAs in place. Below is a list of those DAMAs with links to the respective DAR* websites that contain information on how to access each DAMA as well as which regions/locations/shires are covered:
