DAMA Visa Australia: How the Designated Area Migration Agreement Works
A DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreement) is not a visa in its own right. It is a 5-year agreement between the Australian Government and a state or territory government or a regional body. Employers in the agreement area who have been endorsed can sponsor the subclass 482, 494 and 186 visas on relaxed settings.
There are currently 13 DAMAs across Australia, covering the whole of the Northern Territory, all of Western Australia (including Perth), and parts of South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. Each DAMA has its own occupation list and concessions, published by that region’s Designated Area Representative (DAR).
This page follows the order people usually ask in: what a DAMA actually is, how to check the occupation list for each of the 13 regions, what the employer and the applicant each need to meet, what can be conceded, how to apply, and how to move to permanent residency.
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Is a DAMA a visa? No. It is an agreement that relaxes the employer-sponsorship thresholds
A DAMA is not a visa. It is a head agreement between the Department of Home Affairs and a state, territory or regional representative body (the DAR). An employer in the agreement area first applies to the DAR for endorsement, then signs its own labour agreement with Home Affairs. Only then can it sponsor you, within the occupations and concessions the agreement allows, for the Labour Agreement stream of the subclass 482 (Skills in Demand, temporary skilled visa), subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional, provisional) or subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme, permanent) visa. When people say “DAMA visa”, they mean one of these three visas obtained through a DAMA.
Home Affairs list, October 2026: Northern Territory, Western Australia (including a state-wide agreement), South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales
Subclass 482 Labour Agreement stream, subclass 494 Labour Agreement stream, subclass 186 Labour Agreement stream
The head agreement and each employer’s individual labour agreement generally run for 5 years each
The two tiers of a DAMA
- Tier 1 · Head agreement: signed between Home Affairs and the DAR. It lists the occupations the region can sponsor, the ceiling on numbers, and the concessions. The DAR is usually a state or territory government department, a regional chamber of commerce, a Regional Development Australia (RDA) committee or a city council.
- Tier 2 · The employer’s individual labour agreement: once endorsed by the DAR, the employer applies to Home Affairs through ImmiAccount. Only after approval can it nominate workers within the settings of the head agreement.
- Two firm rules: the employer must first show a genuine attempt to recruit Australian citizens and permanent residents; and where an industry already has an Industry Labour Agreement, a DAMA cannot be used to sponsor occupations in that same industry.
Related pages: Employer-sponsored migration · Labour agreements · 482 to 186 permanent residency
Ask whether my occupation can go through a DAMA →Australia has 13 DAMAs: first confirm which agreement area your employer is in
Each region’s occupation list and concessions are published by its Designated Area Representative (DAR) and reviewed every year. The table below is the Home Affairs list current in October 2026; click the DAR name to go straight to the official page.
| DAMA | State / territory | Designated Area Representative (DAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory (whole territory) | NT | MigrationNT (Northern Territory Government) |
| Western Australia (whole state, including Perth) | WA | Department of Training and Workforce Development |
| The Goldfields | WA | City of Kalgoorlie Boulder |
| Pilbara | WA | RDA Pilbara |
| South West | WA | Shire of Dardanup |
| East Kimberley | WA | East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
| South Australia Regional | SA | Skilled & Business Migration (Government of South Australia) |
| Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement | SA | Skilled & Business Migration (Government of South Australia) |
| Far North Queensland | QLD | Cairns Chamber of Commerce |
| Townsville | QLD | Townsville Enterprise Limited |
| Goulburn Valley | VIC | Goulburn Valley DAMA |
| Great South Coast | VIC | Warrnambool City Council |
| Orana | NSW | Regional Development Australia – Orana |
Western Australia alone has 5 DAMAs. If the occupation sits in one of the four regional agreements (Goldfields, Pilbara, South West, East Kimberley), go to that local DAR; if it is not in a regional agreement but is in the state-wide WA agreement, go straight to the state government’s Migration Services. Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory currently have no DAMA (see the direct answer below).
How to check whether your occupation is on a DAMA list (four steps)
- Find the region: use the postcode of the employer’s work location and match it to a DAMA in the table above (in WA you can look up a postcode on the Migration WA website).
- Open the list: go to the occupation list page on that DAR’s website. The Northern Territory list, for example, has 325 occupations, each marked with its skill level and whether it carries an English or age concession.
- Check the settings: confirm which visa subclass the occupation maps to (482 / 494 / 186) and the qualification and experience required. The same occupation can have different settings in different DAMAs.
- Check for exclusions: if the industry already has an Industry Labour Agreement (for example aged care or meat processing), the employer must usually use the industry agreement and cannot use a DAMA.
Occupation lists may change; before you apply, go by the current list on the DAR website.
What a DAMA visa requires: the employer side and the applicant side
Under a DAMA, the 482, 494 and 186 each go through their own Labour Agreement stream. The requirements sit in two layers: first what the employer has to qualify for, then the standards the applicant has to meet, which the agreement may relax.
What the employer has to do first
- Genuinely operate in the agreement area and show a genuine attempt to recruit Australian citizens and permanent residents
- Apply to the regional DAR and obtain endorsement, setting out the workforce need and the numbers
- Enter its own DAMA labour agreement with Home Affairs through ImmiAccount (generally 5 years)
- Pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy at nomination and comply with migration and workplace law
- Nominate only occupations written into its own labour agreement
What the applicant has to meet (may be relaxed by the agreement)
- The occupation is on that DAMA’s list and you are nominated by an employer that holds a signed agreement
- Relevant work experience: for the 482, generally at least 12 months full-time, or equivalent, within the last 5 years; for the 494, generally at least 3 years; where the agreement says otherwise, the agreement applies
- English: the level set in the agreement; where no concession is written in, the standard 482 / 494 / 186 requirement applies
- Age: the standard for the 494 and 186 is under 45 at the time of application; the agreement can relax this
- Skills assessment: required where the agreement says so; for the 186 Labour Agreement stream, Home Affairs may ask for one case by case
- The usual health, character and no-debt requirements; 482 holders must hold adequate health cover for the whole stay
The role of each of the three visas under a DAMA
| Visa | Nature | Key points under a DAMA |
|---|---|---|
| 482 Labour Agreement stream | Temporary skilled visa, generally up to 4 years (up to 5 years for Hong Kong passport holders) | The most common entry point; the agreement can relax English, experience and salary; can lead to the 186 Labour Agreement stream (the agreement must include a permanent residency option) |
| 494 Labour Agreement stream | Regional employer-sponsored provisional visa, 5 years | Relevant experience generally 3 years; the agreement can relax age and English; after holding the visa for 3 years and meeting its conditions you can apply for the 191 permanent visa yourself (no employer sponsorship needed) |
| 186 Labour Agreement stream | Employer-sponsored permanent visa | Onshore applicants must hold a 482 (or 457) granted under a labour agreement; permanent residency must already be written into the employer’s agreement; standard age limit under 45, which the agreement can relax |
These are the Labour Agreement stream settings published by Home Affairs in September to October 2026. The terms of your employer’s agreement prevail.
What can a DAMA concede compared with standard employer sponsorship? Five areas, and they differ by region
The Home Affairs labour agreement guide sets out five areas in which concessions can be requested. Every concession needs strong reasons, and none may leave overseas workers on employment conditions or pay below Australians in equivalent roles. How far each one goes depends on the individual DAMA head agreement.
1. More occupations
A DAMA list can include occupations outside the standard skilled lists. The Northern Territory even has 8 occupations that do not exist in ANZSCO (for example speciality-cuisine cooks and bar supervisors).
2. English
The standard 482 requires Vocational English (IELTS 5.0 or equivalent); the 494 / 186 require Competent English (6.0). Occupations flagged with a concession can go lower; WA states that a concession may not be approved for client-facing roles or roles with workplace safety concerns, other regions follow their own agreements, and registration or licensing requirements are not lowered.
3. Salary
The standard requirement is no less than the income threshold (the Core Skills Income Threshold, CSIT, for the 482 Core Skills stream and the 186; the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, TSMIT, for the 494) and no less than the market salary rate. Some DAMAs allow a proportional reduction, provided pay is not below the market salary rate.
4. Skills and experience
Qualification and years-of-experience requirements can be relaxed under the agreement, or the DAR may carry out the skills assessment for some occupations.
5. Age (permanent residency pathway)
The age limit of 45 for the 494 and 186 can be relaxed together with a permanent residency pathway; labour market testing may also be waived under the agreement.
Two official examples: the Northern Territory and Western Australia concessions
The table below is taken from the two DAR websites to show what “concession” looks like in a real agreement. For the other DAMAs, go by their own websites.
| Concession | Northern Territory DAMA (third agreement, signed March 2025) | Western Australia DAMA (state-wide, established July 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Age limit | Under 55 for skill level 1 to 4 occupations; under 50 for skill level 5 occupations | Raised from 45 to 55 |
| English (only occupations flagged with a concession) | 482 / 494: IELTS overall 4.5 with no band below 4.0; 186: overall 5.0 with no band below 4.0 | No concession for skill level 1 to 2 occupations; skill level 3 to 4 occupations: 482 / 494 overall 5.0 with no minimum band, 186 overall 5.0 with no band below 4.0 |
| Salary | Where the NT market rate is below the threshold (CSIT / TSMIT), sponsorship at 85% of the threshold (from 1 July 2026 the threshold is $79,423, so 85% is $67,510, or the market rate if higher) | Per the agreement terms, with the market salary rate as the floor |
| Work experience | Set separately by occupation category (A to P) | 482 at least 1 year; 494 / 186 positions in regional WA 2 years, in Perth 3 years (full-time or part-time equivalent) |
| Permanent residency pathway | 494 holders can apply for the 191 after 3 years; for the 186, 2 years full-time (or part-time equivalent) in an eligible occupation in the NT within the 3 years before nomination | 482 / 494 holders whose original nomination was endorsed under the WA DAMA and who have lived and worked 3 years in Perth or 2 years in regional WA can be nominated for the 186 (further conditions: related occupation, a two-year full-time offer) |
Figures as at the time this page was built (October 2026). The income threshold is adjusted every 1 July; concessions are as published on the DAR website at the time.
Six differences between the DAMA pathway and the standard 482 / 494 / 186
Same three visas; these are the places where the DAMA route and the standard stream differ.
| Point of comparison | Standard employer sponsorship | DAMA pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Location | 482 / 186 anywhere in Australia; a standard 494 only in designated regional areas | The employer must be in one of the 13 agreement areas |
| Occupation list | Standard lists such as the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) | Each DAMA’s own list, usually wider |
| English / age / salary / experience | Standard requirements | Conceded item by item under the head agreement; differs by region |
| Employer’s preliminary steps | 482 / 494: standard business sponsorship plus nomination (the nomination can be lodged while sponsorship approval is pending); 186: employer nomination only | DAR endorsement first, then an individual labour agreement |
| Visas available | 482 / 494 / 186 standard streams | 482 / 494 / 186 Labour Agreement streams |
| Permanent residency pathway | 482 → 186 employer-sponsored permanent residency; 494 → 191 | 482 → 186 Labour Agreement stream (must be written into the agreement); 494 → 191 |
The six steps of a DAMA application: employer, DAR, Home Affairs and applicant
Compared with standard employer sponsorship, a DAMA adds two steps, DAR endorsement and signing a labour agreement, and both are started by the employer. What the applicant can do is confirm first that their occupation and circumstances match.
Confirm the region, the DAR and the occupation
- Confirm which DAMA the employer’s work location falls under
- Find the occupation on the DAR list, with its concession flags
- Check the visa subclass and qualifications that occupation requires
The employer applies to the DAR for endorsement
- Submit evidence of genuine operation, workforce need and numbers
- Show a genuine attempt to recruit locally in Australia
- The DAR issues the endorsement once it approves
The employer signs a labour agreement with Home Affairs
- The employer lodges the labour agreement request through ImmiAccount
- Home Affairs verifies the business and the DAR endorsement
- The agreement generally runs 5 years and lists occupations and numbers
The employer nominates the applicant
- Nomination within the occupations listed in the agreement
- Payment of the Skilling Australians Fund levy
- Lodging the nomination gives a Transaction Reference Number (TRN) used to lodge the visa; the nomination must be approved before the visa is granted
The applicant lodges the visa
- Prepare English, experience and skills-assessment evidence to the agreement’s terms
- Complete health examinations and character documents
- Lodge the 482 / 494 / 186 Labour Agreement stream in ImmiAccount
Work under the agreement after grant
- Work in the nominated occupation for the agreement employer
- Plan the 186 or 191 permanent residency pathway under the agreement
- 482 / 494 holders changing employer need a new nomination by the new employer; the 186 is permanent and has no such restriction
Processing time at each stage is decided by the DAR and Home Affairs and is not fixed; the Home Affairs website publishes current processing-time guidance.
How a DAMA leads to permanent residency: two routes, depending on whether you hold a 482 or a 494
A DAMA does not itself grant permanent residency. Permanent residency comes through two existing pathways; the concessions let more people reach them.
Route 1: 482 → 186 Labour Agreement stream
- Precondition: the employer’s DAMA agreement includes a permanent residency option and the employer is willing to nominate (Home Affairs and the NT Government both state that nominating for permanent residency is the employer’s choice)
- Onshore applicants must hold a 482 granted under a labour agreement (Home Affairs 186 Labour Agreement stream rule); some agreements, such as WA’s, also cover 494 holders, so your employer’s agreement prevails
- Standard age limit under 45, which the agreement can relax (NT 55 / 50, WA 55)
- Years of work per the agreement: the NT requires 2 years full-time (or part-time equivalent) in an eligible local occupation within the 3 years before nomination; WA requires the original nomination to have been endorsed under the WA DAMA and 3 years living and working in Perth or 2 years in regional WA
Route 2: 494 → 191 permanent visa (Skilled Regional)
- A 494 Labour Agreement stream holder applies for the 191 themselves after holding the visa for 3 years and complying with its conditions
- NT website example: 3 years working for a DAMA-endorsed employer
- The 191 has no minimum income requirement, but you must provide ATO notices of assessment for 3 income years out of the 5 years of your visa (Home Affairs, October 2026)
Neither route is automatic: for the 186, age, English and the other criteria must be met at lodgement under the agreement or the standard rules; for the 191, you must have held the visa for 3 years, complied with its conditions and provide the tax notices of assessment.
Book an initial DAMA assessment →Do Tasmania and the ACT have a DAMA? No, but both are classed as regional in full
The Home Affairs list of 13 DAMAs in October 2026 includes neither Tasmania nor the Australian Capital Territory. Employer sponsorship in those two places uses the standard 482, 494 and 186, with no DAMA concessions.
However, under the Home Affairs designated regional area postcodes, the whole of Tasmania (Hobart is a “city and major regional centre”, the rest is “regional centres and other regional areas”) and the whole of the ACT fall within the regional definition. That means the 494 regional employer-sponsored visa and the 491 state-nominated visa are both available in those places; Tasmania and the ACT each run their own state nomination places and occupation lists.
- Employer sponsorship in Tasmania and the ACT: standard 482 / 494 / 186, or state nomination 190 / 491
- Occupations that need a DAMA concession: check whether the employer can set up, or already has, a place of business in one of the 13 agreement areas
- Home Affairs says it is supporting state- and territory-led DAMA transitions; go by the list on its website at the time
When a DAMA is worth looking at first
A DAMA is not for everyone. It is designed for employer sponsorship inside an agreement area. These are the situations most worth assessing first.
The four situations most worth assessing first
- Your target employer is in one of the 13 DAMA areas, or is willing to employ you in an agreement area
- Your occupation is not on the standard lists but is on a DAMA list
- Your English, age or work experience falls just short of the standard 482 / 494 / 186 requirement, and that DAMA carries a matching concession for the occupation
- You are willing to work in the agreement area for 2 to 3 years and meet the applicable conditions, for a possible 186 or 191 permanent residency pathway
What we do in a DAMA application
- Compare your occupation and circumstances against the 13 DAMA occupation lists and concessions to assess which agreement applies
- Help the employer prepare the DAR endorsement and labour agreement application
- Prepare the 482 / 494 / 186 visa application to the agreement’s terms
- Plan the 482 → 186 and 494 → 191 permanent residency pathways and timeframes
A DAMA only works if you already have an employer or a job offer inside an agreement area.
Book an initial DAMA assessment →End-to-end DAMA support
Newstars’ team of registered migration agents has handled employer-sponsored cases for many years. From DAR liaison and the agreement application to lodging the visa, the same team follows every stage.
Agreement and occupation matching
Taking your occupation, English and experience, we compare each DAMA list and its concessions to work out which agreement fits.
Employer endorsement support
We help the employer prepare the business, workforce and recruitment evidence needed for DAR endorsement and the labour agreement application.
Visa documentation
We prepare the 482 / 494 / 186 Labour Agreement stream application to the agreement’s terms.
Permanent residency planning
Registered migration agents follow the timeframes and conditions for 482 → 186 and 494 → 191.
Common questions about the DAMA visa
Is a DAMA a type of visa?
No. A DAMA is an agreement between the Australian Government and a state or territory government or a regional body. What you apply for through a DAMA is the Labour Agreement stream of the 482, 494 or 186 visa. The visa subclass, its conditions and the Home Affairs assessment process are the same as for the Labour Agreement stream; only some of the standard settings are relaxed under the agreement.
What is the difference between a DAMA visa and a standard 482?
Four things. The employer must be in one of the 13 agreement areas and obtain DAR endorsement first; the occupations it can nominate follow that DAMA’s list, which is usually wider than the standard lists; English, age, salary and experience can be conceded under the agreement; and the permanent residency pathway must be written into the employer’s agreement. The visa subclass itself is the same: a 482.
Can I apply for a DAMA visa on my own?
No. Every visa under a DAMA is employer-sponsored and must be nominated by an employer that has signed a DAMA labour agreement. The NT Government website also states that the government does not connect job seekers with endorsed employers. You need an employer or a job offer inside an agreement area first.
What is the English requirement for a DAMA?
There is no single figure. It depends on whether your occupation is flagged with an English concession on that DAMA’s list. Examples where a concession applies: in the NT, IELTS overall 4.5 with no band below 4.0 for the 482 / 494, and overall 5.0 with no band below 4.0 for the 186; in WA, overall 5.0 for skill level 3 to 4 occupations on the 482 / 494. Occupations without a concession follow the standard requirement (Vocational English 5.0 for the 482, Competent English 6.0 for the 494 / 186). WA states that a concession may not be approved for client-facing roles or roles with safety concerns; other regions follow their own agreements.
What is the age limit for a DAMA?
The standard limit for the 494 and 186 is under 45 at the time of application. A DAMA can relax it: in the NT, under 55 for skill level 1 to 4 occupations and under 50 for skill level 5; in WA, raised to 55. The 482 itself has no age limit, but the rules above apply when you move to the 186.
What is the salary threshold for a DAMA?
The standard requirement is no less than the income threshold (CSIT for the 482 Core Skills stream and the 186, TSMIT for the 494) and the market salary rate; from 1 July 2026 the threshold is $79,423. The NT DAMA allows sponsorship at 85% of the threshold ($67,510) where the market rate is below the threshold, but never below the market rate. Salary concessions in other DAMAs are as set in their own agreements. Figures as at the time this page was built.
How does a DAMA lead to permanent residency?
Two routes. A 482 Labour Agreement stream holder is nominated by the employer for the 186 Labour Agreement stream, provided the employer’s agreement includes a permanent residency option, the employer is willing to nominate, and the years of work set in the agreement are met (NT: 2 years full-time or part-time equivalent within the 3 years before nomination; WA: original nomination endorsed under the WA DAMA and 3 years living and working in Perth or 2 years in regional WA). A 494 holder applies for the 191 permanent visa themselves after holding the visa for 3 years, complying with its conditions and providing tax notices of assessment, with no employer sponsorship and no minimum income requirement.
How long does a DAMA application take?
There is no fixed timeframe. The process has four stages, DAR endorsement, signing the labour agreement, employer nomination and visa processing, each assessed separately by the DAR and Home Affairs. For the visa stage, go by the processing times published on the Home Affairs website at the time; we make no commitment on timing.
Do Tasmania and the ACT have a DAMA?
No. Neither appears on the current Home Affairs list of 13 DAMAs. However, under the designated regional area postcodes, the whole of Tasmania and the whole of the ACT count as regional, so the 494 regional employer-sponsored visa and the 491 state-nominated visa are available there, just without DAMA concessions.
Is a DAMA the same as 190 / 491 state nomination?
No. The 190 and 491 are state-nominated visas under the points-tested skilled migration program: you lodge an Expression of Interest on points and need no employer. A DAMA is a concession route within employer-sponsored visas and requires nomination by an employer in an agreement area. The two can be assessed side by side, but they are lodged separately.
First, confirm which DAMA list your occupation is on
Our registered migration agents assess your situation against the current lists and concessions of the 13 DAMAs, explain the endorsement and agreement steps your employer has to take, and map the 186 or 191 permanent residency pathway.
Free DAMA feasibility assessment →
