DAMA · South Australia · Adelaide City and SA Regional
South Australia DAMA — Adelaide and regional SA, two agreements, and the occupation picks which one
South Australia has two Designated Area Migration Agreements. Employers do not choose between them. Skilled and Business Migration guides an employer to the right one based on the occupation being nominated. Endorsement carries no state fee.
What is the SA DAMA program?
It is two agreements between the South Australian and Australian governments. The Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement covers metropolitan Adelaide. The South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement covers the entire state. One representative runs both, through one endorsement application and one occupation list. Endorsed employers then sponsor workers through the labour agreement streams of the 482, 494 and 186.
Key facts
- Two agreements, one process. The nominated occupation decides which one applies.
- No state endorsement fee. Skilled and Business Migration charges nothing to assess a request.
- Age: under 55 at nomination, where the occupation carries the concession.
- Work experience: reduced requirements on some occupations, published on the list.
- Income threshold: a reduced threshold is 90 per cent, across three concession types.
- Permanent residence: two years on the 482, or three, depending on the endorsement date.
- Endorsement lasts 12 months. The labour agreement runs five years.
Which South Australian agreement applies?
| Agreement | Area covered |
|---|---|
| Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement | The Adelaide metropolitan region only |
| South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement | The entire state of South Australia |
Employers often ask which of the two to apply under. Skilled and Business Migration answers it directly: you are guided to the correct agreement based on the nominated occupation. There is one endorsement application and one occupation list.
The occupation list also records where in South Australia each occupation is available. It sets out the requirements a nominee must meet and any concessions attached. Read the row for the occupation before assuming coverage.
Who runs it
Skilled and Business Migration, part of the Department of State Development, is the Designated Area Representative. It assesses endorsement requests and monitors the program with the Department of Home Affairs. It is also the skills assessing authority for some occupations. That covers roles outside the Combined List of Skilled Occupations, or not listed under OSCA. It is how occupations with no assessor become available.
SA DAMA Program Overview
A DAMA has two tiers. The head agreement sits between the Australian Government and the representative. Individual employers then hold their own labour agreement underneath it, for five years.
- Administered by: Skilled and Business Migration, Department of State Development.
- Visas: the 482 and 494 provisional subclasses, and the 186 for permanent residence.
- Employer-led. A worker cannot apply under the labour agreement streams independently.
- No self-sponsorship, and no labour hire. The nominating business must be the direct employer.
Two things that are not automatic
Endorsement by the representative does not oblige the Department to approve a labour agreement. The Department takes the endorsement into account and decides separately.
There are also no review rights. If the representative declines to endorse, or the Department declines the labour agreement request, neither decision can be appealed. Reapplying is possible if circumstances change.
Eligibility
For Employers
- be actively and lawfully operating in the designated area of South Australia for at least 12 months;
- be financially viable, and the direct employer party to the labour agreement;
- have the vacant position located in the area the occupation list defines for that occupation;
- assess workforce needs, including any change over the last six months;
- carry out labour market testing, at endorsement and again at nomination;
- meet sponsorship obligations and have no adverse information.
Businesses operating under a trust cannot apply. The trustee applies instead, and the trustee's legal name must match the trust deed, the supporting documents and the ABN.
Positions must be full time. That means 38 hours a week. It can also mean 32 to 45 hours where an award or agreement specifies it, consistently with the Standards. Casual positions are not accepted.
For Skilled Workers
- the occupation must be on the SA DAMA occupation list, in the area the position sits in;
- meet the work experience published against that occupation, which may be reduced;
- meet the age and English settings for that occupation;
- hold a job offer from an employer that is endorsed and holds a labour agreement;
- satisfy the usual health and character requirements.
What concessions apply under the SA DAMA?
Concessions are negotiated occupation by occupation. Not every occupation carries them. The occupation list is the only place that confirms which apply to a given role.
Work experience
Some occupations carry a reduced work experience requirement against the standard pathway. South Australia is unusual in publishing one. The experience published on the SA DAMA occupation list is what the applicant must meet under the agreement.
Age
The 482 has no age limit of its own. The limit bites when transitioning to the 186, which normally requires an applicant to be under 45. Where the occupation carries the concession, the nominee must be under 55 at the time of nomination. The same applies to the 494.
There is a further carve-out for aged care. The representative will keep endorsing existing temporary visa holders aged 45 or older in those occupations, for an ENS pathway.
English
| Visa | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 482 or 494, specified occupations | IELTS 5.0 overall or equivalent, minimum 4.0 in each band |
| 482 or 494, specified semi-skilled occupations in outer regional SA | IELTS 4.5 overall or equivalent, minimum 4.0 in each band |
| 186, where the list specifies it | IELTS 5.0 overall, minimum 4.5 in each band |
These concessions are not available where registration or licensing for the occupation requires a higher level of English.
Income threshold
South Australia states the rule plainly. A reduced threshold is 90 per cent of the CSIT or TSMIT. Earnings can include overtime the contract commits to, where that matches industry practice and the Standards.
| Type | Monetary earnings | Non-monetary, food and board | Non-monetary, other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | At or above the reduced threshold | Nil | Nil |
| Type 2 | Reduced threshold less non-monetary earnings | Nil | Up to 10% of the reduced threshold |
| Type 3 | Reduced threshold less non-monetary earnings | Up to the published SA Homestay Rates | Nil |
Under all three the total annual earnings must reach the reduced threshold. The employer must show the concession will not undermine the worker's ability to support themselves. It must not expose them to financial risk or lead to exploitation.
What we see in practice
South Australia sets the permanent residence period by the employer's endorsement date. Nothing the worker does changes it. Endorsed on or after 27 June 2025, the nominee needs two years on the 482 before a 186 nomination. Endorsed earlier, it is three. An employer on the older setting can move to the two-year pathway. It has to lodge a variation to its own labour agreement to do so. So a worker asking why a colleague reached PR a year earlier is usually looking at two employers' paperwork. Ask when the sponsor was endorsed before mapping any PR timeline.
Step-by-Step Guide
Employers
- EndorsementRegister on the Skilled and Business Migration portal and lodge the request. One application can cover several occupations and subclasses.
- Labour agreementUse the letter of endorsement to request the agreement from the Department through ImmiAccount.
- Nominate, then applyNominate against an approved occupation. The worker then lodges the 482, 494 or 186.
Skilled Workers
- secure a job offer from an employer already endorsed and holding a labour agreement;
- confirm the concessions published against that occupation on the SA DAMA list;
- check whether a skills assessment is needed at nomination or visa stage;
- lodge the visa once the nomination is in place.
Planning past year one
Endorsement covers 12 months. More positions in a later year need a variation request, lodged close to the start of that year. Two limits apply from 2026. The Department supports only one variation per year of a labour agreement. And it will not accept variation requests in the first six months after a new agreement is signed.
The 186 cannot be requested in the initial labour agreement application. It comes through a variation, close to the year it becomes available to the nominee. Employers can now flag their expected 186 numbers for years three to five in the first endorsement application. Those requests are considered at assessment.
Visa Subclass Pathways
| Visa | Duration | PR Pathway | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 482 – Skills in Demand | Up to 4 years | 186 after 2 or 3 years held, set by the endorsement date | Age, English, experience and income concessions by occupation |
| Subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional | Up to 5 years | 191, subject to the income and residence criteria | Age concession available on selected occupations |
| Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme | Permanent | Direct PR (labour agreement stream) | Requested by variation, not in the first application |
An Industry Labour Agreement changes the answer. Where one covers the occupation, the SA DAMA works only if the worker is employed in a different industry. Otherwise the employer must use that agreement instead. Existing SA DAMA labour agreements already approved are not affected.
Visa Fees & Charges
There is no application fee for endorsement through Skilled and Business Migration. South Australia publishes that plainly. South Australia is one of several representatives that confirm free endorsement, alongside the NT and WA DAMA.
Everything after that is a Commonwealth cost, and the employer carries it. The nomination application charge. The Skilling Australians Fund levy. The worker's visa application charge, which is indexed every 1 July. We do not print those amounts here because they change. Add professional fees, which we quote in writing after a consultation, and the cost of gathering evidence.
Family Members You Can Include
- Spouse or de facto partner: full work rights in Australia.
- Dependent children under 18: study rights, and Medicare on the permanent visas.
- Older dependants: may qualify if financially dependent.
Family must be declared at application stage or added later as subsequent entrants. On the 494 the family carries the regional condition as well.
Free download
The DAMA Handbook — the 13 regional agreements, how they work
How a DAMA works end to end. The four stages, why the regional representative comes before the Department, and what an endorsement business case has to show. Includes the 482 to 186 and 494 to 191 routes and a directory of all 13 agreements.
PDF · 2026 edition · no cost · prepared by a MARA-registered agent
The DAMA Handbook
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing between the two agreements. You do not. The occupation determines which one applies.
- Mapping a PR date without the endorsement date. Two years or three depends on when the employer was endorsed.
- Requesting the 186 in the first application. It comes by variation, close to the year it is available.
- Leaving variations late. One variation per year, and none in the first six months of a new agreement.
- Assuming concessions apply. They are negotiated per occupation, and some occupations have none.
- Applying as a labour hire business or under a trust. On-hire is not supported, and a trustee must apply.
Tips for Strong Application
- Read the occupation's row first. It sets the area, the experience, the English and the concessions.
- Plan a full year of headcount at endorsement, because the variation window is annual.
- Ask a prospective sponsor when it was endorsed. That single date sets the PR timeline.
- Check the Industry Labour Agreement question early, before building an endorsement case.
Related visas and resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SA DAMA program?
Two agreements between the South Australian and Australian governments. They let endorsed SA employers sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers in occupations they cannot fill locally.
Which areas are covered?
The Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement covers the Adelaide metropolitan region only. The South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement covers the entire state. The occupation list records where each occupation is available.
Which agreement do I choose, Adelaide City or SA Regional?
Neither. Skilled and Business Migration guides the employer to the correct agreement based on the nominated occupation. There is one endorsement application.
What visas are available?
What concessions apply?
Reduced work experience, age under 55 at nomination, reduced English, and a reduced income threshold at 90 per cent. The threshold concession comes in three types. All are per occupation, and some occupations carry none.
What is the PR pathway?
Endorsed on or after 27 June 2025, the nominee must have held the 482 two years before a 186 nomination. Endorsed earlier, it is three years. The 494 leads to the 191, subject to its income and residence criteria.
Do I need to pass the points test?
No. DAMA visas are employer-sponsored, not points-based, and there is no invitation round.
What industries are targeted?
The occupation list governs rather than the industry label. It is built from consultation with industry associations and employers, and government data on shortages, and is reviewed annually.
Are there SA Government fees?
No. Skilled and Business Migration charges no application fee for endorsement. The employer pays all Commonwealth costs, including nomination charges and the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
Can I appeal if endorsement is refused?
No. There are no review rights if the representative declines to endorse, or if the Department declines a labour agreement request. You can reapply if your circumstances change.
Ask when the sponsor was endorsed.
A free eligibility check confirms whether the role is on the SA DAMA list and which concessions it carries. It also settles the permanent residence period.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered visa agent in Sydney, NSW, working with South Australian employers on DAMA sponsorship. We advise sponsored workers too, Australia-wide and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- Skilled and Business Migration — Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) for employers (the two-tier structure, the representative's roles, the five-year labour agreement, and the Industry Labour Agreement rule) read in full 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Skilled and Business Migration — DAMA concessions (work experience, age, English settings, and the three income threshold concession types) read in full 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Skilled and Business Migration — Employer/DAMA FAQs (the two agreements, the 27 June 2025 endorsement fork, variation limits, no endorsement fee, review rights, trusts, labour hire and full-time rules) read in full 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Skilled and Business Migration — SA DAMA occupation list (where each occupation is available, and the concessions attached) checked 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — Designated Area Migration Agreements (the two-tier framework, the current list of agreements and representatives, and the Industry Labour Agreement bar) page last updated 5 November 2025 · read 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Migration Regulations 1994 — Schedule 2 clauses 482.24, 186.24 and 494.23 (Labour Agreement streams), Compilation No. 288, 1 July 2026 (F2026C00667) read 8 September 2026 open ↗
Occupation lists, concessions and Commonwealth charges change during a programme year, and the income thresholds index every 1 July. Confirm the current position with Skilled and Business Migration or the Department before acting on anything on this page.