DAMA - Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement

DAMA – Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement

What is DAMA?

DAMA – Designated Area Migration Agreement, is an employer sponsored Australian Visa program. Individuals cannot apply for the Visa under DAMA independently. Applicants must have a job offer from an employer based in Northern Territory. The Employer must meet specific requirements in order to sponsor an overseas worker.

DAMA main features:

A broad range of occupations available for sponsorship not available under the standard Employer Sponsored Visa

– Concessions available for English language and TSMIT salary levels *(conditions apply)

– Pathways to permanent residency *(might need to be sponsored by the employer

– Five year agreement for employers

– No age limit *( Permanent residency Visa age limit applies)

Occupations on the DAMA list:

Note: each occupation has specific requirements in terms of qualifications level and required years of work experience to apply under DAMA:

Occupation	English concession may be available	TSMIT concession may be available
Accountant – general
Accounts clerk	✓	✓
Aged or disabled carer		✓
Agricultural and horticultural mobile plant operator	✓	✓
Aeroplane pilot^
Airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic^	✓
Aircraft maintenance engineer – avionics^	✓
Aircraft maintenance engineer – mechanical^	✓
Aquaculture farmer	✓	✓
Arborist	✓
Automotive electrician	✓
Baker	✓	✓
Bar attendant – supervisor^	✓	✓
Barista	✓	✓
Beauty therapist		✓
Beef cattle farmer	✓	✓
Bookkeeper	✓	✓
Bus driver^	✓	✓
Butcher or smallgoods maker	✓	✓
Cabinetmaker	✓
Cabler – data and telecommunications	✓
Café or restaurant manager		✓
Carpenter	✓
Chef	✓
Chief executive or managing director
Childcare worker^		✓
Childcare centre manager^
Civil engineering technician		✓
Community worker		✓
Conference and event organiser		✓
Cook	✓	✓
Cook – specialist ethnic cuisine	✓	✓
Customer service manager		✓
Crowd controller^		✓
Deckhand^	✓	✓
Dental assistant		✓
Diesel motor mechanic	✓
Disabilities services officer		✓
Diver	✓	✓
Early childhood (pre-primary school) teacher^
Earthmoving plant operator – general	✓	✓
Earth science technician	✓
Electrical linesworker^	✓
Electronic instrument trades worker – general	✓
Excavator operator	✓	✓
Facilities manager
Family day care worker^		✓
Family support worker		✓
Fitter – general	✓
Fitter and turner	✓
Fitter-welder	✓
Floor finisher	✓	✓
Flying instructor^
Forklift driver	✓	✓
Fruit or nut grower	✓	✓
Gaming worker	✓	✓
Hair or beauty salon manager		✓
Hairdresser	✓	✓
Hardware technician	✓
Hotel or motel manager		✓
Hotel or motel receptionist		✓
Hotel service manager	✓	✓
ICT customer support officer	✓
ICT support technicians nec	✓
Interpreter^
Landscape gardener	✓
Licensed club manager		✓
Linemarker	✓	✓
Management accountant
Marketing specialist		✓
Metal fabricator	✓
Mixed crop and livestock farmer	✓	✓
Mixed crop farmer	✓	✓
Mixed livestock farmer	✓	✓
Motor mechanic – general	✓
Motor vehicle parts and accessories fitter – general	✓	✓
Motor vehicle or caravan salesperson		✓
Motor vehicle parts interpreter	✓	✓
Motorcycle mechanic	✓
Nursing support worker		✓
Office manager
Out of school hours care worker^		✓
Panelbeater	✓	✓
Personal care assistant		✓
Pharmacy technician		✓
Plumber – general^	✓
Pressure welder	✓
Program or project administrator
Property manager
Recreation officer
Residential care worker		✓
Retail manager – general		✓
Retail supervisor		✓
Sales and marketing manager
Sheetmetal trades worker	✓	✓
Ship’s engineer	✓
Ship’s master^
Small engine mechanic	✓
Sound technician	✓	✓
Supply and distribution manager		✓
Taxation accountant
Telecommunications cable jointer	✓
Telecommunications linesworker	✓
Telecommunications technician	✓
Therapy aide		✓
Tour guide	✓	✓
Truck driver – general^	✓	✓
Vegetable grower	✓	✓
Vehicle painter	✓	✓
Veterinary nurse		✓
Waiter supervisor	✓	✓
Waste water or water plant operator
Web administrator	✓
Web designer		✓
Welder – first class	✓
Welfare worker		✓
Youth worker		✓

What it TSMIT?

Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) is a minimum salary level employers must pay to sponsored workers. The current base rate is AUD$53,900 per annum. In addition to TSMIT, a market salary rate is taken into consideration. The market salary rate depends on occupation, job location, job requirements, salaries of others working in similar jobs with similar skills. For example, an employer based in Sydney offering salary of $53,900 to a qualified accountant with 10+ years of work experience might not be approved by the Immigration Department as local salary levels for similar positions in the same locations are higher. In turn, employers based in NT regional area may sponsor applications on lower salaries if concessions are available under the DAMA program.