In order to enter into a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) to employ skilled migrants under the subclass 482 or 494 visa, you must be assessed by a Designated Area Representative (DAR) and fulfil a range of criteria.
  • The business must be actively and lawfully operating in the designated area of South Australia for more than 12 months and be financially viable.
  • The business must disclose any associated adverse information.
  • The vacant positions must be located in the designated area defined by the chosen Agreement.
  • Employers will be required to meet sponsorship obligations.
  • The business must assess the current and future workforce needs, taking into consideration any changes to the business’ workforce composition in the last 6 months
  • The nominating business needs to be a party to the labour agreement as the direct employer
  • Employment terms and conditions must be reasonable and lawful and align with Australian workplace laws and/or relevant instruments.
  • The position must be permanent full-time, and duties must align with the nominated occupation.
  • Employers must provide the Overseas Worker with an amount of Annual Earnings which is equal to or greater than the Annual Market Salary Rate and TSMIT.

Adverse information about your business may have an impact on endorsement of the South Australian DAMA. It must be disclosed in your application and includes any investigation, conviction, finding of non-compliance, administrative action or legal proceeding relating to a federal, state or territory law, particularly, but not limited to:

  • Immigration
  • Industrial relations
  • Occupational health and safety.

If a current or past business has been investigated or audited during the last five years you must provide the Government of South Australia with details on why this happened and on the outcome. You should explain any mitigating circumstances that you think should be considered.

The following information is required:

  • The nature of the adverse information
  • How the adverse information arose, including the credibility of the source of the adverse information
  • In the case of an alleged contravention of a law, whether the allegations have been substantiated or not (copy of court/tribunal decision)
  • Whether the adverse information arose recently or some time ago
  • Whether your business has taken any steps to ensure the circumstances that led to the adverse information does not happen again
  • Information about findings made by a relevant authority* in relation to the adverse information and the significance attached by the competent authority to the adverse information. If the Government of South Australia has endorsed your business, this does not guarantee that the Australian Government will approve a labour agreement to your business.
     

*Relevant authorities include the following:

  • The Department of Home Affairs or another Australian Government agency
  • The Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman, or former authority with this function, or the relevant state or territory government authority in relation to compliance with workplace relations provisions
  • The relevant state or territory government authority in relation to compliance with occupational health and safety provisions.

The skills, qualifications and work experience required by the nominee (visa applicant) is determined by the nominated occupation and the skills list on which it appears. The nominee will need to meet these requirements to be eligible for 482 / 494 / 186 nomination under the DAMA program.

Employers must refer to the DAMA occupation list for the required qualifications, skills and work experience for individual occupations.

All qualifications must meet the minimum relevant AQF qualification or equivalent duration work experience to substitute for the qualification.

All work experience:

  • Must be in the nominated occupation, or a related occupation at the same skill level.
  • Can be undertaken prior to commencing study, while studying or post-qualification.
  • Can be undertaken as part of a formal arrangement such as internships, industry and clinical placements, apprenticeships and traineeships, and work experience required through the Job Ready Program (JRP).
  • Can be served concurrently with any work experience used to substitute for formal qualifications as per OSCA requirements, provided that the work experience was at the same skill level.