Regional employers in Western Australia have just one week to prepare for the biggest shake-up of Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) since the scheme was introduced in 2015. On 24 June, Perth-based consultancy Questra Immigration confirmed that the Goldfields DAMA—covering 72 occupations across Kalgoorlie and surrounding shires—will expire on 30 June and be rebadged as the Western Australia DAMA on 1 July 2026. The new state-wide agreement will consolidate the existing Goldfields and Kimberley–Pilbara DAMAs, giving mining, hospitality and aged-care employers in every WA shire access to a single skills list and streamlined endorsement process.
For employers needing assistance navigating the new DAMA requirements, VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a straightforward online service for checking eligibility, compiling supporting documents and tracking visa progress in real time, freeing HR teams to focus on onboarding rather than paperwork.
Key concessions—10 per cent permanent-residence wage discounts and English-language waivers for some trade roles—remain, but a new labour-market testing template aligns with the federal government’s post-pandemic focus on evidence-based shortages. For mobility managers the immediate task is triage: nominations lodged under the Goldfields DAMA must be decided by Home Affairs before 30 June or be re-submitted under the WA DAMA rules. Existing 482 and 494 visa holders are not affected, but future PR applications will reference the new agreement ID. Employers currently sourcing workers under state nomination programs may prefer the WA DAMA’s lower AUD 86,000 Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) concession, creating fresh competition for candidates. State officials say the merger will cut red tape by two weeks per application and improve regional branding in overseas markets. Critics argue that a broader catchment dilutes the pricing power of firms in remote towns already grappling with 2 per cent vacancy rates. The Chamber of Minerals and Energy, however, has welcomed the “one-stop shop”, noting that 68 per cent of WA’s resources workforce remains classified as ‘regional’ under immigration law despite record fly-in-fly-out rosters. Practical tip: employers should download the new occupation list and update employment contracts to reference the WA DAMA benchmark salary table before issuing offers dated 1 July onwards. Candidates part-way through skills assessments can continue—assessment bodies have confirmed reference letters issued for Goldfields DAMA will be honoured if lodged before 30 September.
For employers needing assistance navigating the new DAMA requirements, VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a straightforward online service for checking eligibility, compiling supporting documents and tracking visa progress in real time, freeing HR teams to focus on onboarding rather than paperwork.
Key concessions—10 per cent permanent-residence wage discounts and English-language waivers for some trade roles—remain, but a new labour-market testing template aligns with the federal government’s post-pandemic focus on evidence-based shortages. For mobility managers the immediate task is triage: nominations lodged under the Goldfields DAMA must be decided by Home Affairs before 30 June or be re-submitted under the WA DAMA rules. Existing 482 and 494 visa holders are not affected, but future PR applications will reference the new agreement ID. Employers currently sourcing workers under state nomination programs may prefer the WA DAMA’s lower AUD 86,000 Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) concession, creating fresh competition for candidates. State officials say the merger will cut red tape by two weeks per application and improve regional branding in overseas markets. Critics argue that a broader catchment dilutes the pricing power of firms in remote towns already grappling with 2 per cent vacancy rates. The Chamber of Minerals and Energy, however, has welcomed the “one-stop shop”, noting that 68 per cent of WA’s resources workforce remains classified as ‘regional’ under immigration law despite record fly-in-fly-out rosters. Practical tip: employers should download the new occupation list and update employment contracts to reference the WA DAMA benchmark salary table before issuing offers dated 1 July onwards. Candidates part-way through skills assessments can continue—assessment bodies have confirmed reference letters issued for Goldfields DAMA will be honoured if lodged before 30 September.
