How Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) Will Help Flourishing Townsville’s Economy?
As per the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke, the DAMA will attract and settle more skilled workers in Townsville and the North Queensland region and help effectively handle the economic challenges.
The new DAMA of Townsville covers 195 occupations in various sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, transport, social assistance, and professional, technical, and scientific services.
Businesses across sectors, including hospitality, manufacturing and other trades, have been facing challenges in finding staff, and the DAMA will help meet their needs. However, to access DAMA, businesses have to show that they have tried to hire locals but have not succeeded.
The Designated Area Migration Agreement is expected to fill around 3,000 unfilled vacancies in North Queensland. The agreement allows migrant workers to bring their immediate families, have avenues to permanent residency, and become part of the community.
The government is committed to boosting the economy across regional Australia, and Townsville’s agreement is part of it. The other areas under DAMA are Goldfields, Northern Territory DAMA, South Australian Regional Workforce agreement, Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement, Far North Queensland DAMA, Orana DAMA (TBA), and Great South Coast DAMA.
What Should You Know About Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)?
A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is between the Department of Home Affairs and certain regional areas, allowing businesses in the region to benefit from employer-sponsored visa management.
DAMA aims to make the designated area more accessible to many occupations. The DAMA labour agreement allows employers to sponsor migrant workers through TSS Visa 482 and the 186 visa streams. In addition, skilled and semi-skilled workers in occupations excluded from the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) and Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) may be able to work and live in Australia through the DAMA program.
Requirements under DAMAs are always tailored depending on the occupation a worker will be sponsored under. Once the business is under DAMA, it will be opened to a broader range of potential skilled occupations to sponsor.
Applying for Visa Under DAMA Program:
The DAMA visa application process involves only four steps. However, it may alter depending on the jurisdiction.
Here is the application process for the NT Program
The sponsoring business requires to apply to the designated area body, such as the Northern Territory Department of Trade, Business, and Innovation “DBTI” to endorse the labour agreement.
The sponsoring business needs to apply for a labour agreement with the Department of Home Affairs.
The sponsoring business applies to the Department of Home Affairs for nominating an individual worker under the labour agreement.
The skilled or semi-skilled worker applies for a TSS 482 visa under the labour agreement stream.
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