Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
DAMA (regional agreement) vs Company-specific labour agreement
Both let an employer sponsor outside the standard rules in the labour agreement stream, with concessions on occupation, salary, English or age; the difference is who negotiated them and how long the door takes to open. A Designated Area Migration Agreement already exists for its region with a published occupation list and concessions, and an employer in the region applies to the regional body for endorsement and then to the Department under the agreement’s terms, in months. A company-specific labour agreement is negotiated from scratch between one employer and the Department, with evidence of a need the standard program cannot meet, union consultation and a training commitment, and takes longer. An employer in a DAMA region with roles on its list uses the DAMA; an employer elsewhere, or with a need no agreement covers, negotiates its own.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who it is for
- Employers in one of the twelve agreement regions, with roles on the region’s list · Any employer that can show a need the standard program and the industry agreements do not meet
- Concessions
- Set by the region: occupation, salary, English, experience, sometimes age · Negotiated case by case; the Department grants fewer than employers ask for
- Steps
- Endorsement by the regional body, then a labour agreement with the Department under the DAMA, then nominations · A submission with evidence of need, consultation with the relevant union, negotiation, the agreement, then nominations
- Time
- Months · Longer; often many months
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About the CPD →Side by side
| DAMA (regional agreement) | Company-specific labour agreement | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Employers in one of the twelve agreement regions, with roles on the region’s list | Any employer that can show a need the standard program and the industry agreements do not meet |
| Concessions | Set by the region: occupation, salary, English, experience, sometimes age | Negotiated case by case; the Department grants fewer than employers ask for |
| Steps | Endorsement by the regional body, then a labour agreement with the Department under the DAMA, then nominations | A submission with evidence of need, consultation with the relevant union, negotiation, the agreement, then nominations |
| Time | Months | Longer; often many months |
| Visas | 482 and 494 labour agreement streams; 186 or 191 under the agreement | 482 and 186 labour agreement streams, and the 494 where agreed |
| Term | The DAMA’s term, five years in the ordinary case, with the employer’s agreement under it | The agreement’s term, usually five years |
| Watch out | The region’s list and ceilings; the employer must be in the region | The evidence of need and the consultation; a weak case is refused after a long wait |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
Both let an employer sponsor outside the standard rules in the labour agreement stream, with concessions on occupation, salary, English or age; the difference is who negotiated them and how long the door takes to open. A Designated Area Migration Agreement already exists for its region with a published occupation list and concessions, and an employer in the region applies to the regional body for endorsement and then to the Department under the agreement’s terms, in months. A company-specific labour agreement is negotiated from scratch between one employer and the Department, with evidence of a need the standard program cannot meet, union consultation and a training commitment, and takes longer. An employer in a DAMA region with roles on its list uses the DAMA; an employer elsewhere, or with a need no agreement covers, negotiates its own.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
DAMA (regional agreement) or Company-specific labour agreement — which is better?
Both let an employer sponsor outside the standard rules in the labour agreement stream, with concessions on occupation, salary, English or age; the difference is who negotiated them and how long the door takes to open. A Designated Area Migration Agreement already exists for its region with a published occupation list and concessions, and an employer in the region applies to the regional body for endorsement and then to the Department under the agreement’s terms, in months. A company-specific labour agreement is negotiated from scratch between one employer and the Department, with evidence of a need the standard program cannot meet, union consultation and a training commitment, and takes longer. An employer in a DAMA region with roles on its list uses the DAMA; an employer elsewhere, or with a need no agreement covers, negotiates its own.
What is the main difference between the DAMA (regional agreement) and the Company-specific labour agreement?
Who it is for: DAMA (regional agreement) — Employers in one of the twelve agreement regions, with roles on the region’s list; Company-specific labour agreement — Any employer that can show a need the standard program and the industry agreements do not meet. Concessions: DAMA (regional agreement) — Set by the region: occupation, salary, English, experience, sometimes age; Company-specific labour agreement — Negotiated case by case; the Department grants fewer than employers ask for. Steps: DAMA (regional agreement) — Endorsement by the regional body, then a labour agreement with the Department under the DAMA, then nominations; Company-specific labour agreement — A submission with evidence of need, consultation with the relevant union, negotiation, the agreement, then nominations.
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