Accessing the Kimberley DAMA

Where do I start?

Your first step is to check the Kimberley DAMA Occupations and Concessions List in detail and to seek professional advice as necessary about whether the Kimberley DAMA is appropriate to your needs. Be sure to read the explanatory notes at the end of the list to understand what the columns mean.

The main factors the EKCCI will consider in assessing a request to be endorsed to access the Kimberley DAMA can be summarised as:

Whether you have been lawfully operating within the Kimberley DAMA Designated Area for at least 12 months;
Whether you have a genuine need for the occupation (or occupations) and position/s you are seeking to access under the Kimberley DAMA;
Whether you have genuinely tested the Australian Labour market to fill the position/s;
Whether the salary and conditions proposed for the overseas worker/s are at least equivalent to what would be acceptable for an Australian citizen or permanent resident in that occupation/position in the Kimberley region;
Whether any concessions you request (eg. age, English, salary) are justifiable and appropriate.

The other document you should read is the Kimberley DAMA Information Guide. This guide explains in detail what you need to demonstrate when requesting access to the Kimberley DAMA, as well as the more technical information.

You will find all other information, including non-ANZSCO occupation position descriptions, in the Resources section of this page.

Submitting a Kimberley DAMA Request for Endorsement

Note that in the Resources section below, there is a step-by-step Kimberley DAMA Endorsement Submission Guide. The basic steps are:

Complete a Kimberley DAMA Request for Endorsement Form;
Provide the information in the checklist at Part F of that form;
Provide a EKCCI credit card authority for payment of the DAR endorsement fee, to match the number of positions being requested. Note that the fee is per position sought.

The standard endorsement request fee (per position sought) is:

$885 (GST incl) per position – EKCCI members
$985 (GST incl) per position – non EKCCI members

Requests to vary a concession/s or to ‘roll over’ an existing unused position/s from one year to the next:

$275 (GST incl) – variation or ‘roll over’ fee (flat fee)

Note: The EKCCI must send all of your supporting information to the Department of Home Affairs with its Kimberley DAMA endorsement letter, except the EKCCI credit card authority. For this reason, please ensure that your information is provided in PDF (or similar) format and that the credit card authority is a separate attachment of its own.

What happens next?

The EKCCI aims to finalise properly prepared requests for endorsement within ten business days but will contact you (or your agent if you are using one) if they need any further information to consider your request.

If endorsed, the EKCCI then sends an endorsement letter to the Department of Home Affairs with all of the supporting information you provided. The EKCCI will also send a copy of the endorsement letter to you (or your agent) with instructions about how to submit a request for a Kimberley DAMA Labour Agreement online with the Department of Home Affairs.

You can then submit your Kimberley DAMA Labour Agreement request online for the occupation/s and positions/s endorsed by the EKCCI. The Department of Home Affairs does not charge a fee for the Labour Agreement request. It is important to note that if you have identified prospective overseas worker/s for the endorsed position/s, in most circumstances you can lodge nominations for those individuals within a couple of days of requesting an initial Kimberley DAMA Labour Agreement – in most circumstances you do not need to wait until the Labour Agreement is approved.**

Once your Kiomberley DAMA Labour Agreement is approved and signed you can continue to nominate individual/s against the approved occupation/s and position/s. The Department of Home Affairs will then decide the nominations/visas for the individuals. Note that nominations and associated visa applications are subject to the government’s Visa Application Charges and also the Skilling Australia Fund Levy. In calculating the costs, note that the Kimberley DAMA labour agreement replaces the need to become an approved sponsor and uses the Labour Agreement Stream of each visa category.

Your Kimberley DAMA Labour Agreement will generally be for five years. During that time you can seek endorsement to vary the agreement, adding occupations and/or positions, or adding concessions, as needed. For all details about requesting a variation to an existing agreement see the Kimberley DAMA Information Guide.

Contact the EKCCI at dama@ekcci.com.au for further information. Don’t forget to subscribe for Kimberley DAMA updates.

**Overseas workers who are in Australia may be eligible for a bridging visa in the interim depending on their individual circumstances. You should obtain professional advice or check with the Department of Home Affairs as an individual person’s immigration status or circumstances may, in some cases, prevent a successful nomination or access to a bridging visa. The EKCCI is not involved in any considerations around the individuals.

Resources (forms and downloads)

Important

Kimberley DAMA Occupations and Concession List

Kimberley DAMA Information Guide

Kimberley DAMA Request for Endorsement Form

Kimberley DAMA Labour Market Testing Factsheet

EKCCI Credit Card Authority

Kimberley DAMA Endorsement Submission Guide

You may also need:

Kimberley DAMA Salary Concessions Table if requesting a TSMIT (salary) concession

Kimberley DAMA Recruitment Summary if asked by EKCCI

ANZSCO occupation descriptions are available in the ANZSCO website – you can search by occupation name or six-digit ANZSCO code. If requesting non-ANZSCO positions (code 070499), the position descriptions are as follows:

Bar Manager

Bar Supervisor

Waiter (Supervisor)

Cafe or Restaurant Supervisor

Commercial Cleaner (Supervisor)

Commercial Housekeeper (Supervisor)

Operations and Client Experience Officer (Aviation)