A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is a type of Labour Agreement. Labour Agreements are work agreements that enable approved employers to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers for positions they are unable to fill with local workers and in response to identified market shortages. These agreements are negotiated between the Department and employers or industrial associations. Other types of labour agreements also include: Company-specific labour agreements, Project agreements, Global Talent Scheme (GST) agreements and Industry labour agreements.
DAMAs are labour agreements between a Designated Area Representative (DAR) and the Australian Government and provide access to additional occupations and concessions to standard migration programs under the:
- Temporary Skill Shortage visa (Subclass 482)
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (Subclass 494)
- Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)
Once a DAMA is in place, local businesses can apply for endorsement and enter into individual labour agreements under the conditions of the relevant DAMA.