Local Businesses

The South Australian Government has entered into two DAMAs:

Adelaide Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement

This agreement focuses on Adelaide’s high-tech growth industries including defence, space, technology and advanced manufacturing industries. The Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement is the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) covering metropolitan Adelaide.

South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement

This agreement focuses on South Australia’s regional high growth industries including agribusiness, forestry, health and social services, tourism and hospitality, construction and mining. The South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement is the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) covering the entire state of South Australia.

The DAMA is intended to assist local businesses to meet their skills needs. Individuals cannot apply directly for a DAMA labour agreement.

Who should apply for a DAMA Labour agreement?

This program is for South Australian Businesses that:

• Have identified a skills or labour shortage that they cannot fill locally
• Have vacancies for occupations that are available on the DAMA Occupation Lists for South Australia, or occupations with duties that align with the nominated occupation
• Have permanent full-time positions vacant which cannot be filled locally

Who can you nominate?

• An employer can nominate Skilled migrants living overseas or temporary residents currently in Australia.

Designated Area Representative (DAR)

Skilled & Business Migration, Department of State Development, is the Designated Area Representative (DAR) and is the cosignatory to the agreement and is responsible for the broad oversight and endorsement of sponsors under the agreements. This includes:

• Management and administration of the DAMA
• Assessing and endorsing employers who want to sponsor overseas workers under the DAMA
• Monitoring, reporting, and reviewing activity as agreed with the Department of Home Affairs 
• Acting as the Skills Assessing Authority for some Occupations (See DAMA Occupation List)  

Australian Government

The Commonwealth of Australia is represented by the Department of Home Affairs, and is responsible for:

• Governing the legislative requirements as provided by the Migration Act and Regulations
• Working with endorsed employers to establish the individual DAMA Labour Agreement
• Processing nominations and visa applications made under the DAMA Labour Agreements
• Working with endorsed employers to evaluate and review the DAMA Labour Agreement annually
• Working with endorsed employers' requests (annually) on the maximum number of nominations.

Amendments to an existing labour agreement are referred to as a Variation Request and follows the same application process as a normal DAMA application.

• Employers who are party to a DAMA Labour Agreement may need to vary the approved occupations and ceilings within the first or subsequent years.
• Employer ceilings (maximum number of approved nominations) are approved on an annual basis. As with the DAMA, the first year annual ceiling for an employer is shown in the Schedules of the employers’ DAMA Labour Agreement. 
• Variations to employer ceiling approvals are not automatic. Variation requests must be endorsed by DAR and approved by the Department of Home Affairs. Employers will first need to submit an online application to DAR. If approved by the Department, changes or additions to the agreement are recorded in a deed of variation, which is sent to the employer and DAR. 
• A Variation Request is also required when DAMA Employers wish to nominate their existing Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) subclass 482 employee working under the labour agreement for the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) visa. Please note Labour Market Testing (LMT) evidence is not required when requesting endorsement for ENS from Skilled & Business Migration. 

For further information on applying for a variation, refer to How to Apply.