DAMA in 2026: key facts
- There are now 13 DAMAs in place. Since this article was first written, Townsville (QLD) and a statewide Western Australia DAMA have been added, and the Goldfields DAMA has been extended to 31 December 2026. See the full list on our DAMA page.
- A DAMA is an employer sponsored program: workers cannot apply by themselves.
- DAMA workers are sponsored through a labour agreement for the Skills in Demand (482) visa (which replaced the TSS visa on 7 December 2024), the 494 visa or the 186 visa.
- Concessions can include occupations not on the standard lists, English and age concessions, and salary concessions below the Core Skills Income Threshold (AUD 79,423 from 1 July 2026).
- The NSW Government has consulted on a proposed NSW DAMA in 2026; it is not yet in place.
Below is a list of all the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) and their requirements:
When this article was written there were 12 DAMAs. There are now 13 in place:
- Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement, SA: Skilled & Business Migration
- East Kimberley, WA: East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Far North Queensland, QLD: Cairns Chamber of Commerce,
- Goulburn Valley, VIC: Goulburn Valley
- Great South Coast, VIC: Warrnambool City Council
- Northern Territory, NT: Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement
- Orana, NSW: Regional Development Australia – Orana, NSW
- Pilbara, WA: RDA Pilbara
- South Australia Regional, SA: Skilled & Business Migration
- South West, WA: Shire of Dardanup
- The Goldfields, WA: City of Kalgoorlie Boulder (extended to 31 December 2026)
- Townsville, QLD: Townsville Enterprise Limited
- Western Australia (statewide), WA: Department of Training and Workforce Development
Australia DAMA Map
Australia DAMA Map
Two new DAMAs
In 2019 two new DAMAs were announced: the South West WA DAMA and the Goulburn Valley DAMA in Victoria. Both are now in place.
South West WA DAMA
This DAMA will assist in filling the large number of vacancies in Dardanup and South West Western Australia.
The Shire of Dardanup will administer the process for accessing the South West DAMA which will be open to businesses operating in any of the 12 local governments areas covered by the agreement: City of Busselton, City of Bunbury, Shire of Capel, Shire of Collie, Shire of Augusta/Margaret River, Shire of Boyup Brook, Shire of Bridgetown/Greenbushes, Shire of Dardanup, Shire of Donnybrook/Balingup, Shire of Harvey, Shire of Manjimup and the Shire of Nannup.
Local businesses can apply individually to access the DAMA from 2022.
Goulburn Valley Victoria DAMA
The Goulburn Valley region, bordered on the south by the Great Dividing Range and to the north by the Murray River, is a significant agricultural region but also includes important retail, manufacturing and tourism industries.
The Greater Shepparton City Council will administer the process for accessing the Goulburn Valley DAMA which will be open to businesses operating in any of the Greater Shepparton, Moira and Campaspe local government areas.
Local businesses can apply individually to access the DAMA from 2022.
New Designated Area Migration Agreement for South West WA
Western Australia’s South West region will look to fill critical labour shortages for business and industry with the Federal Government creating a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) with the Shire of Dardanup.
The Shire of Dardanup will administer the process for accessing the South West DAMA which will be open to businesses operating in any of the 12 local governments areas covered by the agreement: City of Busselton, City of Bunbury, Shire of Capel, Shire of Collie, Shire of Augusta/Margaret River, Shire of Boyup Brook, Shire of Bridgetown/Greenbushes, Shire of Dardanup, Shire of Donnybrook/Balingup, Shire of Harvey, Shire of Manjimup and the Shire of Nannup. Local businesses can apply individually to access the DAMA from 2022.
-
The new Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) lets employers sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers for positions they are unable to fill with local workers. It is tailored to address current and emerging labour market shortages and local terms and conditions of employment.
DAMA utilises the labour agreement stream of the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), which replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa on 7 December 2024. Businesses enter into a labour agreement with the Australian Government and workers are then granted a subclass 482 visa.
Note: The DAMA is an employer-sponsored visa program and individual workers cannot apply for a visa independently.
The key elements of DAMA are:
- pathways to permanent residency for DAMA visa holders (including transitional arrangements for existing visa holders)
- a broad range of occupations that reflect skilled and semi-skilled shortages, with no caveats to apply
- English language concessions for some occupations
- salary concessions that reflect market rates, ensuring that worker terms and conditions of employment are not eroded, and businesses and consumers are not subjected to inflationary costs
- a range of risk and integrity actions to ensure that the rights of both employees and employers are protected
- a five year agreement to reduce red tape.
Users of the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)
Businesses can access the DAMA if they are actively operating in the above regions and:
- are viable and have been operating for at least 12 months
- have no history of not meeting its obligations to employees
- are looking to employ overseas workers to fill full-time positions with duties that align with one of the occupations on the DAMA list
- can demonstrate they cannot fill the position locally with Australian citizens or permanent residents
- can provide terms and conditions of employment to overseas workers that are in accordance with those offered to Australian workers employed in the region.
Occupations included in the agreement
The occupations that are eligible for sponsorship under the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) are specified in each region’s page.
It also shows the concessions that may be applied.
Your business can seek an income threshold concession. The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) was replaced by the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), which is AUD 79,423 from 1 July 2026. There must be a strong business case to support a concession.
Your business has to 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.
If you would like to find out more about the current skilled occupations list or discuss your visa options further and evaluate which pathway to take, please book an appointment.
