A Bunbury engineering workshop called us about a fitter it wanted from the Philippines. The owner had already started a WA DAMA endorsement application with Migration Services in Perth. However, his postcode sits inside the South West DAMA. Western Australia now runs five agreements, and the order in which you check them decides which body endorses your business. Get that order wrong and you lose weeks.
Below we set out how the five fit together, and what the state-wide WA DAMA does and does not concede. We checked every term on the Designated Area Representative’s own site on 15 September 2026.
Five agreements, one state
Four regional DAMAs already covered parts of Western Australia: the Goldfields, the Kimberley, the Pilbara and the South West. Each has its own Designated Area Representative. The Goldfields agreement runs through the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, extended to 31 December 2026.
The WA DAMA then arrived in July 2024 and covers the whole state, Perth included. Importantly, it complements those four rather than replacing them. Migration Services, inside the Department of Training and Workforce Development, is its DAR.
So five agreements now overlap on the map. Your business does not choose freely between them.
The order of checks, in the DAR’s own words
Migration Services publishes a sequence, and it binds you. Follow it in this order.
- If your business sits inside the Goldfields, Kimberley, Pilbara or South West, check that regional DAMA’s occupation list first.
- If the occupation appears there, apply to that regional DAR for endorsement.
- Only if the occupation is missing from your local list do you check the WA DAMA list.
- If it appears there, apply to Migration Services instead.
One further filter sits above all of this. Where an Industry Labour Agreement already covers the occupation, a DAMA can endorse it only for a different industry.
Our Bunbury caller had skipped to step three. Consequently he started again with the correct DAR.
Your postcode also splits the state in two
Inside the WA DAMA itself, the DAR runs two categories. Category 2 is Metropolitan Perth. It covers postcodes 6000 to 6038, 6050 to 6083, 6090 to 6182, 6208 to 6211, 6214, and 6556 to 6558. Category 3 is Regional WA, meaning every other WA postcode.
Places split evenly. Half go to Metropolitan Perth and half to Regional WA. Furthermore the regional list runs broader, because it adds occupations tied to regional industry need.
Two exclusions catch employers out. Fly in fly out arrangements between regions cannot be considered at all. In addition, work at secondary locations outside the primary region should stay under 30 per cent of work time.
What the WA DAMA actually concedes
Four concessions matter commercially. Each one attaches to the occupation and the category, not to your business.
| Concession | WA DAMA position, checked 15 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Age | Age limit lifted from 45 to 55 for visa applicants |
| Work experience | One year for the 482; two years for the 494 and 186 in Regional WA; three years for the 494 and 186 in Metropolitan Perth |
| English | No concession at skill levels 1 and 2. At skill levels 3 and 4, IELTS 5.0 with no minimum band for the 482 and 494, and IELTS 5.0 with no band under 4.0 for the 186 |
| Permanent residence | 186 nomination after three years in Metropolitan Perth or two years in Regional WA |
| Salary | No concession published |
| DAR endorsement fee | No charge |
Read the English row carefully. The DAR may still decline a concession it publishes. Client facing roles, workplace health and safety risk, and licensing that demands higher English all count against you.
The permanent residence concession carries its own gate. It applies only where the original nomination came from a WA DAMA endorsement. The role must also connect to the employee’s WA work. Moreover the offer must run at least two years full time.
The concession that is not there
Many employers ask for the salary discount first. Under the WA DAMA there is none. The DAR publishes no income concession, so you pay the Commonwealth threshold in full.
For nominations lodged in 2026-27, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD79,423. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold is AUD146,576. Budget from those figures.
Watch one trap here. The DAR’s eligibility PDF still carries a May 2025 update date and older threshold numbers. Therefore take your figure from Home Affairs instead.
What Migration Services wants in the file
Endorsement costs nothing, yet the evidence burden is real. Applications run through the Migration WA Portal only.
First, your business must be a verified employer on the Skilled Migrant Employment Register. You must also show more than 12 months of active trading, financial viability, and no adverse findings.
Each requested position needs its own package. That means the ANZSCO code, the subclass, the concessions sought, a job description, the location, the pay and hours, a business case and a workforce plan. Where a position works alone or with one other employee, prove a physical presence there. Photographs and lease agreements do that job.
Labour market testing applies to the 482 and 494 pathways only. It is not required for the 186 pathway. Metropolitan Perth needs at least two separate advertisements. Regional WA needs two as well, with at least one of national reach. Each must run 28 consecutive days, and you must accept applications for the same period. Social media and general classifieds will not be accepted, although LinkedIn counts if the ad is open beyond members.
Two clocks you should diarise
First, you have 60 calendar days to submit an endorsement application once you start it in the portal. Miss that and the application is withdrawn.
Second, an approved endorsement stays valid for 12 months from the date of issue. You must lodge your labour agreement request with Home Affairs inside that window. Decision ready applications currently take 20 working days.
Unusually for a DAR, Migration Services also offers a review. A declined business has 28 calendar days to request one. However, the reviewer sees only the documents already lodged. That makes the first submission the one that counts.
Where this sits against the rest of the program
A DAMA is a deed between government and a representative body, not a visa. Our guide to what a DAMA is and who signs it explains the structure. If age is the blocker, read our note on how DAMA concessions reopen permanent residence.
Weighing a mainstream route instead? Compare the 482 eligibility tests and the 482 advertising rules first.
Frequently asked questions
My business is in Broome. Can I apply to Migration Services anyway?
Only if the occupation is missing from the Kimberley DAMA list. Where your local DAMA covers the occupation, and your business sits in that region, endorsement comes from that regional DAR.
Does the WA DAMA allow fly in fly out workers?
No. Fly in fly out positions between regions cannot be considered under the WA DAMA. Drive in drive out and bus in bus out arrangements fall inside the same definition.
Can a skill level 1 occupation get the English concession?
No. The English concession applies to skill level 3 and 4 occupations only. Skill levels 1 and 2 must meet the standard visa requirement.
We already sponsor a 482 worker in Perth. Can we use the permanent pathway concession?
Only if that original nomination came from a WA DAMA endorsement. The worker must also have lived and worked in Metropolitan Perth for three years, or Regional WA for two.
What happens if our endorsement is refused?
You may request a review within 28 calendar days of the outcome email. The reviewer looks at the original documents alone, so no new material can be added.
This article is general information only, current at 15 September 2026. It is not legal advice and does not address your circumstances. DAMA terms and Commonwealth thresholds change, so seek tailored advice before you act.