What is DAMA?

• Northern Territory: Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement
• The Goldfields, WA: City of Kalgoorlie Boulder
• Great South Coast, VIC: Warrnambool City Council
• Adelaide City and Regional SA: Immigration South Australia
• Orana, NSW: Regional Development Australia – Orana, NSW
• Far North Queensland: Cairns Chamber of Commerce DAMA
• Goulburn Valley, VIC 
• Pilbara, WA 
• South Australia Regional, SA 
• South West, WA 
• Townsville, QLD 

Unless there are concessions, applicants are expected to meet the standard requirements for the 482 Visa. Please check with the specific DAMA region for concessions available.

1. You must still be nominated by an employer in a relevant occupation. This employer must be granted a labour agreement through their specific DAMA region.
2. You must meet the English requirement (unless there are concessions) –  Applicants may be eligible to apply for this visa if they English is lower than the standard IELT’s 5.0 overall with no score lower than 4.5.
3. You must be offered an employment contract from your employer. The salary must meet the standard TSMIT (unless there are concessions). Applicants may be able to receive a salary as low as approximately $48,510 per year in certain occupations. For standard 482 visa applicants, the minimum salary acceptable is $73,150. But from 1 July 2025, TSMIT will go up again—this time to $76,515. Read more about it here.
4. The Applicant has the qualifications and work experience to work in the occupation

Immigration know that if they don’t make these visas more appealing, not many applicants would want to move to these areas. As such immigration has provided the opportunity to move from temporary 482 visa to Permanent Resident, regardless of what your occupation is. This is not the case for many applicants who hold a standard 482 visa.

Each DAMA region will have their own specific pathway to PR. However these will usually involve the applicant working in the occupation for 2 – 4 years before being eligible to transition onto the Permanent 186 – Employer Nominated Scheme Visa.

As an example I will give you a general overview of the requirements to transition to PR in the Northern Territory DAMA.

1. Be under the age of 50
2. Hold a 482 visa issued through DAMA arrangements
3. Meet the education and work experience requirements
4. Have worked for 3 years in the nominated occupation through DAMA arrangements
5. Have an English score of 6 (if your occupation is not eligible for a concession
6. You must be offered an additional 2 year employment contract in your nominated occupation