On March 19, 2025, a new Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) for the Northern Territory came into effect.
The DAMA is the third DAMA established for the territory and will be in effect until June 30, 2030. It enables employers facing workforce shortages to access an additional 1,500 overseas workers annually across a broad range of occupations that are in critical shortage in the territory.
There are currently 13 DAMAs in place. DAMAs are a formal arrangement between the Commonwealth of Australia and a designated area representative (DAR). A DAR may be a state or territory government or regional body.
Under the terms of a DAMA, the designated area may be able to access a broader range of overseas workers than is available through the standard skilled visa programs by allowing variation to standard occupations and skills lists and/or negotiable concessions to visa requirements.
Individuals cannot directly access a DAMA. Individuals need to be sponsored:
- by an employer operating in a designated region, and
- for an occupation that is specified in the head agreement
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.
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).
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.