Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)

Pay the correct application fee at the time of submitting your application. Refer to Fees and Payment for Application Pricing List. Application fees include GST if you (the applicant) is an Australian resident for tax purposes. Please refer to the Australian Taxation Office website for information regarding tax residency. 

One recent passport-sized colour photograph is required. The photograph must be no more than six months old and of good quality (self-taken photographs are not acceptable).

As proof of your identity, you must provide at least three identity documents. You may provide two documents from the primary documents and one document from the secondary documents, OR you may provide one document from the primary documents and two documents from the secondary documents. Either way, you must provide at least one primary document.

Acceptable primary documents:

• Passport bio page
• Birth certificate

Acceptable secondary documents may include, but are not limited to:

• National ID
• Driver’s Licence
• Social security card
• Marriage certificate
• Student identity card
• Australian visa

Please ensure that:

At least one of your ID documents contains a photo of you; and at least one of your ID documents contains your full name and date of birth.

You must also read and sign the declaration on the application form to affirm that the information you have provided is true and correct, and to acknowledge that you understand how your personal information will be handled by VETASSESS.

If you have nominated an agent representative or lawyer to act on your behalf, their name, signature, and date of signing must also be included on your signed declaration form.

If applicable, evidence of name change must be provided to address any naming inconsistencies in the documents submitted. This is to support your identity.

Qualification evidence includes your qualification award certificate accompanied by the academic transcripts.

Award Certificate:

The award certificate is the official document confirming the completion of an award course of study. If you have not yet received your qualification award certificate, a provisional award certificate issued by the awarding body or an official statement of completion issued by the Registrar's department of the awarding institution will be accepted.

Academic Transcript:

Provide us with your complete academic transcript. Transcripts are the official records from the institution outlining the courses / units of study as well as the final grades achieved as part of your academic qualification. If you attended a college affiliated to the awarding institution, the award certificate must be issued by the awarding institution permitted to award the qualifications.

If your transcripts do not provide sufficient information regarding the units of study undertaken, please provide additional evidence, such as a course syllabus, to clarify this. You can also detail major projects and other significant features of your studies in your CV.

Additional notes for qualifications obtained from specific regions of the world:

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (PRC)

If you hold qualifications that have been awarded by educational institutions from China, you will be required to have your qualification documents verified by VETASSESS.

You can read more about the Chinese Qualifications Verification process on our website at

http://www.vetassess.com.au/skills-assessment-for-migration/chinese-qualifications-verification

EUROPE

Applicants with European qualifications should supply Diploma Supplements for these if available. Generally, these are only issued by educational institutions from countries participating in the Bologna Process. A Diploma Supplement will be accepted in lieu of an award certificate and transcript if it includes all the necessary information.

PHILIPPINES

Please supply evidence of passing the Professional Regulation Commission's Licensure Examinations if available.

LEBANON

Most qualifications awarded by University Colleges and Institutes in Lebanon require evidence of approval by the Equivalence Committee of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Please supply this evidence confirming equivalency to a qualification awarded by a Lebanese university.

It is important that you provide us with the required employment evidence for each employment position listed in your formal skills assessment application.

Statement of Service:

View Statement of Service template.

A Statement of Service is a written statement by your employer confirming your employment on official letterhead. Official letterheads should include the organisation's full address details, telephone, email and website addresses. The content of the letter must be signed by your direct supervisor or the manager of the human resources department.

The Statement of Service must include the following:

a)   Issue date for the Statement of Service

b)   The company letterhead

c)   Your full name

d)   The working hours per week

e)   Your official position title(s) held at the organisation

f)   The exact period of your employment in each position held

g)   Description of your main duties for each position held

h)   The salary earned

i)   Full name, position title, official contact details and signature of the person writing the statement of service – references from colleagues at the same level or below will not be accepted. Please note that your referee may be contacted for further information.

Payment evidence:

Payment evidence can include one of the following types:

• Pay slips (ideally your first and last payslip);
• Taxation Records of Assessment (bearing company and applicant name)
• Bank Statements showing at least two salary payments, your name and the employer's name; OR
• Employment-linked insurance / superannuation records (bearing company and applicant name).

Self-employed:

If you are self-employed, you are required to provide the following:

a) Evidence of self-employment such as sole trading or business registration details and /or official statements issued by your (registered) accountant and/or legal team. The statement from your accountant or solicitor must include the accountant's or solicitor's letterhead, your full name, how long you have been continuously self-employed including official dates in each role, the nature of the business conducted, the signature and contact details of the accountant or solicitor. View Employment Reference for Self-Employment template.

b) Statutory declaration listing your main duties during self-employment;

c) Payment evidence showing regular income from self-employment, such as client invoices together with corresponding bank statements and/ or official taxation records;

d) Supplementary evidence, such as contracts with clients or suppliers, client testimonials, evidence of projects completed etc.

Organisational Chart:

View List of Managerial Occupations requiring Organisational Chart.

If you are nominating a managerial occupation, you must submit an organisational chart. An organisational chart should include the company letterhead, your job position and those of your superiors and subordinates as well as all positions reporting to your immediate supervisor and to your direct subordinates. If you are unable to obtain an organisational chart from your employer, please provide a statutory declaration outlining the required information and the reasons why this information cannot be provided.

Other Supplementary Employment Evidence:

In addition to the above, other supplementary employment evidence may include:

• Licence or Registration documents and details of the requirements for obtaining the licence or registration
• Evidence of professional development completed during applicant’s employment
• Prizes / Certificates or other forms of commendation

Statutory Declarations and Affidavits:

View Statutory Declaration / Affidavit template.

Please note, in order for VETASSESS to consider the contents of a Statutory Declaration for skills assessment purposes, the statutory declaration (or equivalent legal document) must be properly executed by the appropriate legal professional(s) in the country of origin. Applicants may need to seek appropriate legal advice as to how this is carried out in the country of their current residence.

Statutory Declarations should provide any information you are unable to supply through official documents such as, for example, a description of the tasks associated with a particular period of employment. Please note that skills assessments cannot be conducted based on the contents of a statutory declaration or affidavit alone. VETASSESS will require a range of official employment documentation as evidence to support any claims made through the use of statutory declarations. Examples of the range of employment evidence that may be produced by applicants include official taxation documents, signed contract documents, appointment letters and official job descriptions.

A statutory declaration cannot be accepted as evidence of your employment dates, position title(s) or as payment evidence - such relevant information should be provided in the form of official documentation.

If applying for a formal skills assessment, you must include your CV. A resume / CV allows you to outline both your academic studies (describing the major focus of your studies, including providing details of any major projects undertaken as part of course requirements) as well as describing your employment / career history in your own words.

A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is a formal agreement between the Australian Government and a regional, state or territory authority, providing flexibility for regions to respond to their unique labour market needs. DAMA allows employers to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas professionals for positions they are unable to fill with local workers. Each state/territory DAMA is tailored to address current and emerging labour market shortages and local terms and conditions of employment.

A broad range of occupations that reflect the state/territory skilled and semi-skilled shortages, with no caveats to apply but, rather, concessions that may apply. › English language, age and salary concessions for some occupations.

A skills assessment is required for applications lodged for the occupations on the DAMA Occupation Lists. This is to ensure that the individual has the necessary skills to perform the tasks of their chosen occupation under DAMA.

• The Goldfields, WA – City of Kalgoorlie Boulder 
• Great South Coast, VIC – Warrnambool City Council 
• East Kimberley, WA › Pilbara, WA 
• South West, WA 
• Goulburn Valley, VIC 
• Townsville, Qld 
• Orana, NSW – Regional Development Australia: Orana, NSW 
• Far North Queensland – Cairns Chamber of Commerce DAMA.

VETASSESS does not offer skills assessments for the Northern Territory Designated Area Migration Agreement. Please approach the Northern Territory government or the Department of Home Affairs with any queries in regard to this. 

For occupations with DAMA specific criteria, refer to the individual DAMA information sheet on our website. For other professional occupations that are listed on DAMA Occupation Lists, please refer to the professional occupations list. The process is the same as the standard skills assessments and when applying online, please select the ‘Skills Assessment for Migration’ category. When applying online, select the ‘DAMA’ category.

In order to process your DAMA skills assessment, it is required that you nominate the area you will be working in under the DAMA agreement. Please visit DAMA websites for more details.

Our skills assessment outcome letters for occupations with DAMA specific criteria specify the relevant DAMA region. Please contact the relevant DAMA authority to confirm the validity of the letter.

If any additional information is required you will be contacted by email. Once your application is completed, you will receive an email notification to download the outcome letter from the online application portal.

Please ensure you nominate the right occupation and DAMA region before submitting your application online. If you have incorrectly chosen your occupation and/or DAMA region, you will need to withdraw your existing application and submit a new one. Change of occupation requests will incur an administration fee.

Three years from the issue date.

For occupations with DAMA specific criteria, you will need to re-apply under the DAMA category. For other occupations which do not have DAMA specific criteria, yes. Please ensure that your chosen occupation is available under the relevant DAMA agreement.

Multiple applications across various assessment types are accepted.