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Pilbara Designated Area Migration Agreement

Sponsor Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers in the Pilbara

If your Pilbara business is facing a skills shortage it cannot fill locally, the Pilbara DAMA gives you access to a broader occupation list and concessions on standard visa requirements. It covers the City of Karratha, the Town of Port Hedland, and the Shire of East Pilbara. At Australian Migration Lawyers, we guide Pilbara employers through the DAMA process, from endorsement through to visa grant.

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Overview

A Five-Year Agreement Supporting the Pilbara Region

The Pilbara DAMA was signed by the Minister for Immigration on 28 March 2022, a five-year agreement between the Federal Government and RDA Pilbara, developed in partnership with the City of Karratha and the Town of Port Hedland. A variation to the head agreement, approved by the Hon. Andrew Giles MP on 18 January 2024, expanded the DAMA to include the Shire of East Pilbara and added 69 further occupations. It supports employers across mining, construction, healthcare, hospitality, and other sectors experiencing genuine workforce shortages in the region.

Who Administers This DAMA

The Designated Area Representative (DAR) for the Pilbara DAMA is Regional Development Australia (RDA) Pilbara. RDA Pilbara assesses employer endorsement applications on the region's behalf before the Department of Home Affairs considers a labour agreement request. The two approvals are separate, and endorsement does not guarantee that Home Affairs will approve the subsequent labour agreement or visa.

Fixed price

There are no hidden costs for our services. Our fees are clearly set out in a fee agreement.

Deal directly with a lawyer

From the first same-day response to the granting of your Australian visa, you’ll have direct access to a lawyer.

Clear communication

Our experienced lawyers will give you regular updates and clear explanations of visa pathways.

Satisfaction guaranteed

We offer a client satisfaction guarantee in relation to our visa application services.

Installments available

3 - 6 months installment options available on some visa types.

Eligibility for Employers

To be endorsed by RDA Pilbara for this DAMA, a business must show:

The business has been legally and continuously operating within the Pilbara DAMA designated area for at least 12 months

The nominated positions are genuinely based in the region itself, in the City of Karratha, the Town of Port Hedland, or the Shire of East Pilbara, rather than structured as a fly-in-fly-out or drive-in-drive-out role

A genuine business need exists for the occupation being sought

The pay and conditions on offer match what an Australian citizen or permanent resident doing the same job in the Pilbara would reasonably expect

Sufficient labour market testing must also be conducted before applying for endorsement.

Eligibility for Skilled Workers

To be sponsored under the Pilbara 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

An occupation listed on the current Pilbara DAMA occupation list, which includes both ANZSCO and non-ANZSCO roles

Skills, qualifications, and experience matching the nominated occupation's requirements, including a skills assessment where required

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

Health and character clearances

A genuine intention to live and work in the Pilbara designated area, since fly-in-fly-out arrangements are not supported under this DAMA

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Occupation List and Concessions

The Pilbara DAMA currently covers 146 eligible occupations, including 2 non-ANZSCO occupations, across mining, construction, healthcare, hospitality, and community services. Request the current full occupation list and eligible concessions table directly from RDA Pilbara before relying on any occupation eligibility.

Age Concession

Confirmed directly against RDA Pilbara's own concessions page:

Skill Level 1 to 4 occupations: age concession up to 55 years for the Subclass 494 (SESR) and Subclass 186 (ENS) pathways
Skill Level 5 occupations: age concession up to 50 years for the same pathways

English Language Concession

For occupations listed as eligible for the English language concession, applicants may qualify for a reduced standard, generally an overall IELTS score of 5.0 or equivalent, in some cases with no minimum band score, and in others with no component below 4.0. Occupations not listed as eligible must meet the standard English language requirement that applies to the Subclass 482, 494, and 186 non-labour agreement visa streams. Not every occupation on the Pilbara DAMA list qualifies for this concession, check the current eligible occupations table with RDA Pilbara, or contact us and we can confirm it for you.

Salary Concession

Eligible occupations, generally Skill Level 3 to 5 roles, can access a Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) concession of up to 10 per cent below the standard threshold. Based on the current threshold of $79,423 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, this works out to approximately $71,481. Employers must provide a strong business case to access this concession, and the reduced salary must still meet or exceed the Annual Market Salary Rate for the occupation and location.

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DAR Endorsement

RDA Pilbara charges a non-refundable processing fee of $350 plus GST per position for a DAMA endorsement application. There is no charge to lodge the subsequent Request for Labour Agreement with the Department of Home Affairs.

Applications are made using the Pilbara DAMA Request for Endorsement Form, emailed to dama@rdapilbara.org.au with the required supporting evidence, followed by an invoice from RDA Pilbara for the number of positions requested. A positive endorsement is valid for 12 months.

How the Process Works for This DAMA

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Step 1: DAR Endorsement

The employer completes the Pilbara DAMA Request for Endorsement Form and emails it to RDA Pilbara with supporting evidence of business operations, genuine need, and labour market testing, along with the processing fee.

2

Step 2: Labour Agreement Request

Once endorsed, the employer applies to the Department of Home Affairs for a DAMA labour agreement through ImmiAccount, using the application guide RDA Pilbara provides. There is no fee for this step.

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Step 3: Nomination

Once the labour agreement is approved, the employer has 12 months to nominate a skilled worker for the approved position.

4

Step 4: Visa Application

The worker lodges a Subclass 482, 494, or 186 visa application against the approved nomination.

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Residency image

Pathway to Permanent Residency

All eligible occupations under the Pilbara DAMA offer a pathway to permanent residency through the Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) or Subclass 494 to Subclass 191 route.

For the Subclass 186 pathway, RDA Pilbara's standard labour agreement conditions require the worker to have been employed full-time in the nominated occupation, or a closely related occupation also specified under the Pilbara DAMA, for at least three years before the ENS nomination, while holding a Subclass 482 or Subclass 457 visa and working in the Pilbara designated area. This follows the standard federal timeframe, this DAMA does not currently negotiate a shortened pathway.

Talk to Our Migration Lawyers About the Pilbara DAMA

If your Pilbara business has a genuine skills shortage it cannot fill locally, 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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Australian Migration Lawyers

Award-winning Immigration Lawyers

Our office brings nationally recognised immigration law expertise directly to the clients. Every award listed below was earned through independent assessment, including peer review, client feedback, and workplace audits. When you work with our immigration lawyers, you are working with a firm whose quality has been verified from the outside.

2027

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Best Lawyers

Best Law Firms Australia

Australian Migration Lawyers is ranked in the 2027 Best Law Firms - Australia edition by Best Lawyers. Firm rankings are determined through client feedback, peer nominations, and overall market reputation. Inclusion confirms the firm delivers top-tier legal services in immigration law at a national level.

2027

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Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers in Australia™ Immigration Law

Perry Q. Wood is recognised in the 2027 Best Lawyers in Australia™ edition for Immigration Law. This ranking is awarded exclusively through confidential peer review by senior lawyers in the same practice area. It is the leading global legal directory benchmark.

2026

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Doyle's Guide

Leading Immigration Law

Perry Q. Wood is ranked as a Leading Immigration Lawyer in Victoria in Doyle's Guide 2026. Four consecutive years of inclusion in Doyle's Guide establishes a verified, long-term record of excellence and peer recognition in Australian immigration law.

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Don (Susantha) Katugampala

Saemeh Ghasemi Australian Migration Lawyer

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Gerard Gupit Australian Legal Executive

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Australian Legal Executive

We have experience working with LGBTIQ+ visas across Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a labour agreement between the Federal Government and RDA Pilbara covering the City of Karratha, the Town of Port Hedland, and the Shire of East Pilbara, allowing endorsed employers to sponsor overseas workers in occupations experiencing genuine skill and labour shortages.

Regional Development Australia (RDA) Pilbara administers endorsement for this DAMA.

Yes. RDA Pilbara charges a non-refundable processing fee of $350 plus GST per position.

No. All positions under this DAMA must be based, lived in, and worked from the City of Karratha, the Town of Port Hedland, or the Shire of East Pilbara. Fly-in-fly-out and drive-in-drive-out arrangements are not permitted.

No. The standard three-year work requirement in the Pilbara designated area applies before a Subclass 186 nomination, consistent with the standard federal 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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Important Information Regarding the Use of the Term 'Partner'

We are an incorporated legal practice which is a corporation for the purposes of the Corporations Act 2001. The use of the title ‘Partner’ by a lawyer in this practice is used to denote seniority and does not and is not intended to signify that the practice is contracting otherwise than as a corporation. For the avoidance of doubt, any such title does not and is not intended to signify that a partnership within the definition of the Partnership Act exists at law.