%20(1).png?width=200&height=200&name=Untitled%20(200%20x%20200%20px)%20(1).png)
Sponsoring support workers for disability and regional health services.
Disability providers cannot use the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, and support worker roles are not on the standard skilled occupation list. For many regional providers, the answer is a Designated Area Migration Agreement. If your service operates in a DAMA region and that DAMA lists the role, you may be able to sponsor overseas workers with concessions set for your region.
DAMA in short
Key facts
- What it is
- A regional agreement between the Australian Government and a Designated Area Representative, with individual labour agreements for endorsed employers.
- Number of DAMAs
- 13, across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
- Visas
- Subclass 482, 494 and 186, as each DAMA allows.
- Occupations
- Set by each DAMA. Many regions include care and support roles.
- Concessions
- Set by each DAMA. May include salary, English, age and experience.
- First step
- Endorsement from the Designated Area Representative.
Is a DAMA right for your service?
Location
Your business must operate within the designated area, and the role must be performed there.
Occupation
The role must be on that DAMA's current occupation list. Lists differ between regions and change over time.
Industry
A DAMA will not be endorsed where the industry is already covered by an industry labour agreement. This is why aged care providers use the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, while disability providers are directed to DAMAs.
Australians first
You must show a genuine attempt to recruit Australians.
From endorsement to visa
Confirm region and occupation
Confirm your region and check the occupation on the Designated Area Representative's current list.
Apply for endorsement
Apply to the Designated Area Representative for endorsement, with your business, recruitment and worker support evidence.
Lodge the labour agreement request
Lodge the request in ImmiAccount with the endorsement.
Nominate and lodge the visa
Once the agreement is signed, nominate the worker. The worker then applies for the visa.
Our DAMA page lists all 13 regions with links to each Designated Area Representative, where the current occupation lists and endorsement requirements are published.
Disability sector checks alongside the visa
Support workers in disability services usually also need NDIS worker screening and any state-based checks for the role. These are not visa criteria, but they affect when a sponsored worker can start. We build them into the timeline.
Where DAMA applications come unstuck
Outside the designated area
The business or work location falls outside the boundary.
Occupation not listed
The occupation is not on that DAMA's current list, or the list changed after planning began.
Industry already covered
Applying for a DAMA where an industry labour agreement already covers the industry.
Thin recruitment evidence
Weak evidence of recruitment in Australia.
DAMA questions for health and disability employers
We are a disability provider in a capital city. What are our options?
Can nurses and allied health staff be sponsored through a DAMA?
Do DAMA concessions apply automatically?
Tell us the role and the postcode
We will check whether your location sits inside a DAMA region, whether the occupation is on that region's current list, and what endorsement will require from your service.
Important information
The information on this page is general in nature, current as at 25 September 2026, and does not take account of your individual circumstances. It is not immigration assistance or legal advice. DAMA regions, occupation lists, concessions and income thresholds change and are set by each head agreement. The terms that apply to your business are confirmed at the time of advice under a written agreement. No agent can guarantee a visa outcome.
Migration Star, Registered Migration Agents, MARN 1797395.