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Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement DAMA

Sponsor Skilled Tech Talent in Adelaide

If your Adelaide business is facing a skills shortage in technology, defence, space, or advanced manufacturing, the Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement DAMA could help. It is a labour agreement, not a visa, administered by Skilled & Business Migration, that gives endorsed employers access to overseas workers with concessions not available under standard visa pathways. At Australian Migration Lawyers, we guide Adelaide employers through the DAMA process, from endorsement through to visa grant.

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Overview

A DAMA for Adelaide's High-Growth Industries

This DAMA covers the Adelaide metropolitan region and is designed to help local employers sponsor overseas workers where a genuine skills shortage exists in defence, space, advanced manufacturing, and technology. These are industries the South Australian Government has identified as high-growth sectors for the state, where local recruitment alone has not been enough to meet demand.

It is one of two DAMAs the South Australian Government has entered into. The other is the South Australian Regional Workforce DAMA, which covers a broader occupation list across the rest of the state, including agribusiness, forestry, health and social services, tourism and hospitality, construction, and mining. An Adelaide metro employer outside the technology, defence, space, or advanced manufacturing sectors may still be eligible for sponsorship under this second agreement rather than the one covered on this page.

Who Administers This DAMA

The Designated Area Representative (DAR) for both South Australian DAMAs is Skilled & Business Migration, a unit of the South Australian Government. Skilled & Business Migration assesses employer endorsement applications on the state's behalf before the Department of Home Affairs considers a labour agreement request.

This means a DAMA sponsorship involves two separate approvals from two separate authorities. Skilled & Business Migration decides whether to endorse the employer at the state level, and the Department of Home Affairs separately decides whether to approve the labour agreement and any subsequent nomination at the federal level. Endorsement from Skilled & Business Migration does not guarantee that the Department of Home Affairs will approve the labour agreement or nomination that follows.

Who This DAMA Is For

This DAMA is for employers, not individual workers. A worker cannot apply for a DAMA labour agreement independently and must have a genuine job offer from a business that already holds, or is seeking, endorsement under this DAMA. Self-sponsorship is not permitted under any DAMA labour agreement, including this one.

In practice, this means a worker approaching us about this DAMA needs an existing or prospective employer in the Adelaide metropolitan area, operating in one of the eligible industries, before a DAMA pathway becomes relevant to their circumstances.

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Eligibility for Employers

To be endorsed by Skilled & Business Migration for this DAMA, a business must meet the following:

The business has been actively and lawfully operating in South Australia for at least 12 months and is financially viable

Standard sponsorship obligations under the Migration Regulations are met

The vacant position sits within an occupation listed under the Adelaide City Agreement

The business has assessed its workforce needs, including any changes over the past six months

The nominating business is the direct employer and party to the labour agreement

Sufficient labour market testing has been conducted, showing a genuine attempt to recruit an Australian citizen or permanent resident before seeking to sponsor an overseas worker

Self-sponsorship is not permitted under any DAMA labour agreement.

Eligibility for Skilled Workers

To be sponsored under this DAMA, a worker generally needs:

A genuine, full-time job offer from a business that holds, or is actively seeking, DAR endorsement for this DAMA

Skills, qualifications, and experience matching the nominated occupation's requirements under ANZSCO, or the relevant occupation profile for non-ANZSCO listed roles

A skills assessment, where the occupation requires one. For non-ANZSCO occupations without an existing assessing authority, the South Australian Government conducts the skills assessment directly

English language test results meeting the standard visa requirement, or the concession available for the specific occupation

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Occupation List and Concessions

Eligibility for concessions depends on the specific occupation. Not every listed occupation qualifies for every concession type, always check the current occupation list before relying on any figure.

Selected Occupations Under the Adelaide City Agreement

Occupation ANZSCO Code
Chief Information Officer135111
ICT Project Manager135112
ICT Business Analyst261111
Systems Analyst261112
Analyst Programmer261311
Developer Programmer261312
Software Engineer261313
Software Tester261314
Cyber Security Engineer261315
DevOps Engineer261316
Penetration Tester261317
Database Administrator262111
Systems Administrator262113
Cyber Security Analyst262116
Cyber Security Architect262117
Web Designer232414
Multimedia Specialist261211
Web Developer261212
Research and Development Manager132511

This is a representative selection, not the full list. The complete, current occupation list is maintained by Skilled & Business Migration and should be checked directly before any application.

Age Concession

Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand): standard age cap for transitioning to Subclass 186 permanent residency is under 45. Under this DAMA, eligible occupations raise that to under 55 at the time of Subclass 186 nomination.

Subclass 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional): eligible occupations under this DAMA allow nominees to be under 55 at the time of nomination.

English Language Concession

Subclass 482 and 494: eligible occupations may accept an overall IELTS score of 5.0 (minimum 4.0 in each band), or, for specified semi-skilled occupations in outer regional South Australia, an overall score of 4.5 (minimum 4.0 in each band), or the equivalent score on an approved alternative test.

Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme): eligible occupations may accept an overall IELTS score of 5.0, with a minimum of 4.5 in each band.

These concessions do not apply where a professional registration or licensing body requires a higher English standard.

Salary Concession

Eligible occupations may access a reduced Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) for the Subclass 482, or a reduced Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) for the Subclass 494, set at 90 per cent of the standard threshold. Based on the CSIT/TSMIT figure of $79,423 that applies to nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, this works out to approximately $71,481. Employers must be able to show that using this concession will not leave the sponsored worker unable to support themselves or at risk of exploitation.

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DAR Endorsement

There is currently no application fee to seek DAR endorsement for either South Australian DAMA. Employers apply for endorsement, or a variation to an existing labour agreement, through the Skilled and Business Migration Portal.

Endorsement from Skilled & Business Migration does not guarantee that the Department of Home Affairs will approve the subsequent labour agreement request. The two stages are assessed separately.

How the Process Works for This DAMA

1

Step 1: DAR Endorsement

The employer applies to Skilled & Business Migration through the Skilled and Business Migration Portal, showing genuine business need, labour market testing, and compliance with sponsorship obligations.

2

Step 2: Labour Agreement and Nomination

Once endorsed, the employer applies to the Department of Home Affairs for a DAMA labour agreement, then nominates the specific position.

3

Step 3: Visa Application

The worker lodges a Subclass 482 or Subclass 494 visa application against the approved nomination.

Residency image

Pathway to Permanent Residency

Workers sponsored under this DAMA on a Subclass 482 visa can be nominated for a Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa once they meet the region's age, experience, and salary settings, including the concessional under-55 age limit where available for their occupation.

Workers on a Subclass 494 visa under this DAMA can apply for the Subclass 191 (Permanent Residence Skilled Regional) visa after living and working in a designated regional area for the required period, provided they meet the income threshold at the time of application. This follows the standard federal 191 pathway; this DAMA does not currently negotiate a shortened timeframe for that route.

Talk to Our Migration Lawyers About the Adelaide City DAMA

If your business is in metropolitan Adelaide and facing a skills shortage in a technology, defence, space, or advanced manufacturing role, our migration lawyers can confirm whether this DAMA applies to you and guide you through endorsement, labour agreement, and visa stages.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It is a labour agreement covering metropolitan Adelaide that allows endorsed employers to sponsor overseas workers in defence, space, technology, and advanced manufacturing occupations experiencing genuine skills shortages, with concessions not available under standard visa pathways.

Skilled & Business Migration, part of the South Australian Government, administers endorsement for this DAMA.

No. There is currently no application fee to apply for endorsement or a variation under either South Australian DAMA.

Yes. All of South Australia, including metropolitan Adelaide, is classified as regional Australia for the purposes of the Subclass 494 and Subclass 191 visas, unlike some other states where only specific postcodes qualify.

No. The Adelaide City Agreement is specific to defence, space, advanced manufacturing, and technology occupations. Other industries in metropolitan Adelaide may fall under the separate South Australian Regional Workforce DAMA or a standard sponsorship pathway.

This page provides general legal information, not legal advice, and doesn't take into account your individual circumstances. If your situation is time-sensitive, we'd encourage you to book a consultation with our team as soon as possible to get advice specific to you.

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