Are you in the region of the Great South Coast, Victoria, and seeking a possible visa pathway to achieve your visa goals? The labour agreement visa under the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) allows individuals to access a labour agreement under the Great South Coast’s DAMA. Sponsoring employers and visa applicants can access the following visa programs:

What Are the Labour Agreements for the Great South Coast, Victoria?

The Great South Coast (GSC) DAMA is a 5-year employer-sponsored visa program that works together with local businesses and the Australian Government to find suitable skilled workers and address labour shortages in south-west Victoria.

The GSC's DAMA includes the following, and the postcodes are representative of main towns and not limited to:
- Glenelg Shire
  - Portland: 3305
  - Heywood: 3304
  - Cavendish: 3314
- Southern Grampians Shire
  - Hamilton: 3300
  - Dunkeld: 3294
  - Coleraine: 3315
- Moyne Shire
  - Mortlake: 3272
  - Koroit: 3282
  - Port Fairy: 3284
  - Wangoom: 3279
- Corangamite Shire
  - Camperdown: 3260
  - Terang: 3264
  - Timboon: 3268
- Colac-Otway Shire
  - Colac: 3250
  - Apollo Bay: 3233
  - Beech Forest: 3237
- Warrnambool City Council
  - Warrnambool: 3280
The applicant must live and work in the designated area once they are sponsored under the labour agreement pathway.
Businesses in the GSC region who wish to employ and sponsor skilled workers through a labour agreement:
- The business must be operating for at least 12 months and have no adverse information.
- The employers will need to first apply for an endorsement through the Designated Area Representative (DAR) to access a labour agreement.
- The GSC DAR is through the Warrnambool City Council.
- Businesses can apply for endorsement and request a Labour Agreement, which requires providing the initial allocation of occupation types and the number of nominated workers for the first year.
- Suppose employers wish to access new overseas workers. In that case, businesses will need to apply to the GSC DAMA DAR each subsequent year for endorsement for further occupations, worker nominations or other variations to their labour agreement.
- The employer is to obtain their labour agreement that is valid for up to 5 years.
- Ensure that the Labour Market Testing (LMT) has been conducted for a minimum of 28 days.
The GSC DAMA has a total of 114 occupations that reflect skilled and semi-skilled roles required in the southwest Victoria region.
Some concessions for the GSC DAMA may be applied for:
- Age concession for 50-55 years old, depending on the occupation.
  - Up to 50 years old for skill level 1-4 occupations;
  - Up to 55 years old for skill level 5 occupations
- English concessions are available, unless registration or licensing requires a higher level of English, then the higher level of English applies:
  - SID (SC482) and SESR (SC494): overall score of IELTS 5.0 equivalent, with no minimum band score.
  - ENS (SC186): average score of IELTS 5.0 with no band less than IELTS 4.0.
- CSIT (previously known as TSMIT) concession is available for some occupations. Employers will need to provide evidence when applying for this concession.
  - ‘Reduced TSMIT’; or
  - Reduced TSMIT and earnings include guaranteed overtime and non-monetary and monetary benefits.
- Permanent Residence (PR) pathway may be available through ENS (SC 186) visa.

Read the Great South Coast's DAMA Occupation List

How Can Agape Henry Crux Help

If you have questions on the labour agreement visa pathway under South-West Victoria DAMA, schedule a time with Agape Henry Crux and speak with one of our immigration lawyers or registered migration agents for professional guidance. The team works together with our Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law, who specialise in handling highly complex matters. You can schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers or agents to seek professional advice by calling 02-8310 5230 or emailing us at info@ahclawyers.com.

We speak fluent English, Mandarin and Cantonese. We can also help you arrange an interpreter if this isn't your language.

This article/presentation (“publication”) does not deal extensively with important topics or changes in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you find this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances, please contact our office.

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