Have you heard of DAMA?
If you have an interest in migrating to Australia for work or for permanent residency, you’ve likely considered the Temporary Skills Shortage (subclass 482) visa or explored independent options under the General Skilled Migration scheme. It’s also possible that you’ve been disappointed to find out your occupation is not eligible according to the ANSZCO list.
What many people neglect to consider, is that their occupation may be eligible under a Designated Area Migration Agreement, or DAMA for short.
A DAMA is an arrangement between the Federal Government and a designated area representative, for example a State or Regional government. Once a head agreement is in place, endorsed employers can then secure individual labour agreements under the DAMA to suit their own business needs. In this way, the purpose of the DAMA program is to cater to the particular labour issues and shortages that specific regional areas face. Sourcing a Dairy Cattle Farmer may not be an issue for employers in metropolitan areas but is certainly a consideration for employers in Far North Queensland.
Who gives a DAMA?
Well, if you’re looking to secure a future in Australia and have been spending months refreshing the ANSZCO page in the futile hope that maybe your occupation will be added, you definitely do. Because a DAMA allows the business of a specific region to vary the eligible occupations list, and lower the skill and other eligibility requirements, for a Temporary Skill Shortage Visa according to their individual workforce needs.
So, for those of you who know all the ways to skin a cat, but can’t find an eligible occupation to apply for under a regular Temporary Skill Shortage Visa, consider setting your sights on sunny South Australia, where you could be eligible to become a ‘meat boner and slicer’ (ANZSCO 831211), or a Chief Executive or Managing Director (ANZCO 111111) if you weren’t planning on quitting your day job. Either way, you’d have just taken your first step in securing permanent residency.
There are currently 9 DAMAs in place, a list can be found here, and the options available can be quite extensive. Some of them even include metropolitan as well as regional areas, which means professions with a focus on tech such as Digital Artist (070499), Accountant (221111) or Web Designer (232414) can live in the location best suited to them.
This is all sounding a bit DAMAtic.
Actors (211199) are eligible too!
But that’s a fair critique – if we boil it all down, the main takeaway is that the Government is looking to shift migration away from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane and towards parts of Australia hungry for growth, and if you’re struggling to see a way to achieve permanent residency in Australia, maybe broadening your horizons is the answer you didn’t know existed.
How can Agape Henry Crux Help You?
If you want to find out more about DAMA’s, your visa or need advice on your Australian migration matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can book a Migration Planning Session with one of our immigration lawyers to seek professional advice by calling 02-7200 2700 or email us to book in a time at info@ahclawyers.com.
We speak fluent English, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Burmese and Malay. If these aren’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.
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.