Introduction to South Australia (SA) Regional DAMA
The Labour Agreement visa under the Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) allows individuals to access a labour agreement between the Australian government and the state of South Australia. If you are in South Australia (SA), you may be able to explore a permanent residency (PR) visa pathway through DAMA. Sponsoring employers and visa applicants can access the labour agreement with the following visa subclasses:
What Are the DAMA Labour Agreements for South Australia (SA) Regional?
The South Australia (SA) Regional DAMA is a 5-year employer-sponsored visa program that provides local businesses and the Australian Government with the opportunity to find suitable skilled workers to address labour shortages, with additional flexibility not available through the standard skilled visa programs.
The benefit for SA Regional's DAMA covers the entire state of SA.
Applicants must live and work in South Australia (SA) as soon as they are sponsored under the labour agreement pathway.
Businesses in the SA Regional region who wish to sponsor skilled workers through a labour agreement:
The business must be operating for at least 12 months, meet the sponsorship obligation and have no adverse information.
The employers will need to first apply for an endorsement through the Designated Area Representative (DAR) to access for a labour agreement.
The SA Regional DAR is through the Skilled & Business Migration.
There is no fee to apply for an endorsement to the DAR.
Then, employers can request a DAMA Labour Agreement from the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA).
By doing so, the employer can obtain their own 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.
Employers must also show a genuine need for the nominated position.
Nominate a Visa Applicant
The SA Regional DAMA has a total of 55 occupations that reflect skilled and semi-skilled roles required in the state.
There are some concessions available for the SA Regional DAMA that may be applied for.
Age concession of up to 55 years old, depending on the nominated occupation.
English concessions are available for certain occupations, 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 a minimum of 4.0 for individual band score (or equivalent).
SID (SC482) and SESR (SC494) for semi-skilled occupation in outer regional SA: overall score of IELTS 4.5 equivalent, with a minimum of 4.0 for individual band score (or equivalent).
ENS (SC186): overall score of IELTS 5.0 with a minimum of 4.5 for individual band score (or equivalent).
A 10% concession of the standard threshold amount is available for some nominated occupations under the CSIT/TSMIT scheme.
The Permanent Residence (PR) pathway may be available through the ENS (SC 186) visa or the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (Subclass 191) visa.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help
Speak with one of our immigration lawyers for professional guidance from Agape Henry Crux. The team works with two of our Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law, who specialise in handling highly complex matters. You can schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers 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.
Client Testimonials
….we call it Support Network
As navigating through the immigration law process may be difficult, our former clients have agreed to share their experiences through telephone chats, emails and meetings in person.
These are their stories…
