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Western Australia Designated Area Migration Agreement

Sponsor Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers Anywhere in WA

If your Western Australian business cannot fill a genuine vacancy locally, the WA DAMA gives you access to a broader occupation list and concessions on standard visa requirements, wherever in the state you operate. It complements the state's four existing regional DAMAs in the Goldfields, East Kimberley, Pilbara, and South West. At Australian Migration Lawyers, we guide WA employers through the DAMA process, from endorsement through to visa grant.

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Overview

A Statewide Agreement Alongside WA's Regional DAMAs

The WA DAMA, in effect since July 2024, covers the whole of Western Australia, including metropolitan Perth and all regional areas. It sits alongside four existing regional DAMAs, the Goldfields, East Kimberley, Pilbara, and South West, each with their own Designated Area Representative and occupation list.

If your business operates within one of these four regional DAMA areas and your occupation is available under that agreement, you generally need to apply to the local DAR first. The WA DAMA becomes relevant where your occupation is not available under your local regional DAMA, or where your business operates outside all four regional DAMA areas.

Who Administers This DAMA

The Designated Area Representative (DAR) for the WA DAMA is Migration Services, part of the Western Australian Department of Training and Workforce Development. Migration Services assesses employer endorsement applications on the state'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 Migration Services for the WA DAMA, a business must show:

The business is legally established and actively operating in Western Australia, has done so for more than 12 months, and is financially viable

The business has no adverse findings relating to migration, industrial relations, or workplace health and safety compliance in the past five years

The business is registered on the Skilled Migrant Employment Register

A genuine need for additional skilled migrants exists, based on current workforce structure and future business activity, supported by a current organisational chart

For metropolitan Perth positions, the number of skilled migrants requested does not exceed the 50 per cent ratio set by the Department of Home Affairs relative to the total workforce

Sufficient labour market testing has been conducted for Skills in Demand or Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional nominations, including advertising for at least four consecutive weeks within the 12 months before lodging the nomination

Fly-in-fly-out positions between regions cannot be considered under the WA DAMA.

Eligibility for Skilled Workers

To be sponsored under the WA DAMA, a worker generally needs:

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

An occupation listed on the current WA DAMA Occupation List for the relevant designated area category

A skills assessment, where required. For the Subclass 482, this applies if the occupation is on the Core Skill Occupation List and a skills assessment is mandated, or if the occupation is not on that list, unless the worker is an exempt applicant. For the Subclass 494, this applies where the occupation is on the relevant Commonwealth occupation lists, unless the worker previously gained a positive assessment for a Subclass 457 or 482, and also applies where the occupation is not on those lists, unless the worker is an exempt applicant. For the Subclass 186, this applies unless a positive skills assessment was already obtained under the WA DAMA

English language test results meeting the standard visa requirement, or the concession available for the occupation's skill level

Compliance with any occupation licensing or registration requirements

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Occupation List and Concessions

Settings under the WA DAMA differ depending on whether the position is based in metropolitan Perth or regional WA, so it's worth checking which category applies before relying on any figure below. The WA DAMA splits occupation availability and concessions between two designated area categories: Metropolitan Perth (postcodes 6000 to 6038, 6050 to 6083, 6090 to 6182, 6208 to 6211, 6214, and 6556 to 6558) and Regional WA (all other WA postcodes). Places are allocated 50 per cent to each category.

Occupation Availability by Category

Metropolitan Perth roles are drawn mainly from professional and associate professional occupations, ANZSCO Skill Levels 1 through 3, with a limited allowance for semi-skilled Skill Level 4 roles and a small set of non-ANZSCO occupations. Regional WA casts a wider net, adding Skill Level 4 semi-skilled occupations more broadly and a number of occupations specific to regional industries, alongside faster access to permanent residency and lighter work experience requirements than the metropolitan category.

The current occupation list is filterable by visa subclass and designated area on the Migration WA Portal and should be checked directly before any application. Search the WA DAMA Occupation filter directly for your occupation, visa subclass, and designated area.

Age Concession

The standard age cap for most skilled visa pathways is under 45. Under the WA DAMA, eligible occupations increase this to under 55.

Work Experience Concession

Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand): at least one year of relevant full-time (or pro-rata part-time equivalent) work experience
Subclass 494 or 186, Regional WA: at least two years of relevant work experience
Subclass 494 or 186, Metropolitan Perth: at least three years of relevant work experience

English Language Concession

Skill Level 1 to 2 occupations: no English language concession available
Skill Level 3 to 4 occupations, Subclass 482 or 494: IELTS 5.0 or equivalent, with no individual band score required
Skill Level 3 to 4 occupations, Subclass 186: IELTS 5.0 or equivalent, with no individual band score below 4.0
These concessions may not be approved for client-facing roles, roles with workplace health and safety concerns, or where registration or licensing requires a higher standard

The standard minimum English requirements this concession sits below are Vocational English (IELTS 5.0 or equivalent) for the Subclass 482, and Competent English (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent) for the Subclass 494 and 186.

Salary Concession

Employers must pay eligible workers no less than the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold. For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, this threshold is $79,423.

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DAR Endorsement

There is currently no fee to apply for WA DAMA endorsement. Employers apply through the Migration WA Portal. Once granted, an endorsement lasts for 12 months. If a labour agreement application isn't submitted to the Department of Home Affairs within that window, the endorsement lapses and a fresh application is needed. Migration Services also states plainly that its endorsement does not guarantee Home Affairs will agree to enter into a labour agreement.

How the Process Works for This DAMA

1

Step 1: Check Eligibility and Register

The employer confirms the occupation is on the WA DAMA Occupation List for the relevant designated area, then creates a Migration WA Portal profile and registers on the Skilled Migrant Employment Register.

2

Step 2: Gather Evidence and Apply for Endorsement

The employer submits a WA DAMA Endorsement application through the Migration WA Portal, with supporting evidence of business operations, workforce needs, and labour market testing. Current processing time for decision-ready applications is 20 working days.

3

Step 3: Labour Agreement and Nomination

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

The WA DAMA includes a concessional pathway to the Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) that is faster than the standard route. A worker originally nominated under the WA DAMA on a Subclass 482 or Subclass 494 visa can be nominated for the Subclass 186 once they have lived and worked in metropolitan Perth for three years, or in regional WA for two years, provided:

The nominated occupation is available under the WA DAMA
The occupation is connected to the worker's existing WA work experience under their current visa
The employer offers full-time employment for at least two years, with the possibility of extension to permanent employment

This pathway is only available to workers whose original nomination came through WA DAMA endorsement, and labour market testing is not required for this specific Subclass 186 pathway.

Talk to Our Migration Lawyers About the WA DAMA

If your Western Australian business has a genuine skills shortage it cannot fill locally, our migration lawyers can confirm whether the WA DAMA applies to you and guide you through endorsement, labour agreement, and visa stages.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It is a statewide labour agreement, in effect since July 2024, that allows endorsed employers anywhere in Western Australia to sponsor overseas workers with concessions not available under standard visa pathways.

Migration Services, part of the Western Australian Department of Training and Workforce Development, administers endorsement for the WA DAMA.

No. There is currently no application fee for a WA DAMA Endorsement application.

The WA DAMA covers the entire state and generally applies where an occupation is not available under one of WA's four regional DAMAs, the Goldfields, East Kimberley, Pilbara, or South West, or where a business operates outside those regional areas.

Yes, for eligible workers. A worker originally sponsored under the WA DAMA can be nominated for the Subclass 186 after three years in metropolitan Perth or two years in regional WA, subject to meeting the other pathway conditions.

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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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.