Important update for NT DAMA
Changes to the Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement (NT DAMA) will better support Territory businesses address critical workforce shortages.
Under the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade’s updated NT DAMA an increased annual ceiling will enable employers to fill up to 625 vacant positions per year with overseas workers.
Other key changes include:
- a more streamlined framework that enables Territory employers to access workers over a 5 year period rather than having to re-apply each year
- a more flexible permanent resident pathway
- 24 new occupations including some lower skilled occupations in the agriculture, aquaculture and meat industries
- more flexible skills and work experience requirements for overseas workers
- higher age threshold for sponsored overseas workers
- a lower English language threshold for trade occupations and,
- the ability for employers to nominate workers under the new 5 year Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa subclass 494.
The updated NT DAMA provides Territory employers with access to 124 skilled and semi-skilled occupations identified to be in critical skill shortage.
Employers now have the ability to nominate workers under the new Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa subclass 494. This provides employees with a 5 year visa with a pathway to permanent residency after living and working in the Territory for 3 years.
Flexibilities built into the new settings will also enable broader cohorts of overseas workers to work in the Territory and obtain permanent visas. These cohorts include tradespeople who are sponsored by Territory businesses on other temporary visa programs, but do not meet the standard English language requirements for existing permanent pathways.
Employers will need to demonstrate they are unable to employ a suitably skilled and experienced Territorian or Australian to fill the position before they can access the NT DAMA.
More information
Read more about the NT DAMA.
Businesses wanting to know more about the DAMA can call the MigrationNT team on 08 8999 5264 or email migration@nt.gov.au.