This article is updated regularly. Last updated: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
What is the Orana DAMA?
The Orana DAMA is an agreement between the RDA Orana and the Federal Government that supports employers in regional areas such as the Orana, Central West, Southern Inland, Murray and Riverina RDA regions.
Regional employers can often struggle with ongoing labour shortages and the DAMA is designed to help them fill critical roles where local workers are unavailable.
Approved employers can sponsor skilled migrants, accessing a range of occupations that may not otherwise be available under the standard migration program. Concessions may also be available for age, salary and English requirements.
What areas are covered?
Eligibility to request an Orana DAMA depends on the Local Government Area (council) in which the employer operates their business.
Employers must be physically operating within the Designated Area. This includes New South Wales’ Orana region but in April 2024 also expanded further to include Central West, Murray, Riverina and Southern Inland.
This table summarises council areas within the Orana, Central West, Riverina, Murray and Southern Inland regions:
Source: https://www.rdaorana.org.au/migration/dama/employer-eligibility
What is the process?
There are several steps an employer must go through to gain access to an Orana DAMA Labour Agreement.
Employers need to:
- Conduct Labour Market Testing, in other words job advertising, for the positions that they have identified skills shortages.
- Work out what their specific region is. There are different RDA Orana DAMA Migration Officers for each of the regions:
- RDA Orana
- RDA Murray
- RDA Riverina
- RDA Central West
- RDA Southern Inland
- Prepare an Endorsement Request (seeking support from the RDA to participate in the Orana DAMA). This involves providing information and supporting documents to demonstrate:
- a genuine need for the requested position(s);
- the employer’s inability to fill those positions from the Australian labour market;
- that equivalent employment conditions will be provided to sponsored workers.
- Arrange a discussion and then lodge their application with a relevant Migration Officer in their region.
- At the initial interview, suitability for endorsement will be discussed. This step can be skipped if the employer is being represented by a migration agent or lawyer.
- RDA Orana DAMA Migration Officer will assess the Endorsement Request and liaise with the employer if further information is needed.
- Having provided endorsement, RDA Orana DAMA Migration Officer will send the completed application package to the RDA Orana DAR for their final assessment.
- After officially approved by the RDA Orana DAR, employers can then submit request for a Labour Agreement to the Department of Home Affairs (Federal Government).
The Orana DAMA Labour Agreements is a five-year agreement. However, the initial allocation of occupations and number of nominations are for the first year only.
In later years (for example Year 2, 3 etc), employers who wish to continue sponsoring workers will need to apply to the RDA Orana DAMA Designated Area Representative for approval of the required occupations and/or nomination numbers.
Occupations available
There are currently 129 occupations available on the Orana DAMA occupation list.
Last updated in April 2024, these cover a wide range of industries to help address regional workforce shortages. Key sectors include:
- Agriculture
- Construction & Trades
- Education
- Healthcare (including Aged/Disability Care)
- Horticulture
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Meat Processing
The full occupation list can be found here: https://oranadama.org.au/migration/dama/occupation-list.
Aged or Disabled Carer (ANZSCO 423111) is one of the occupations available under the NSW Orana Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA).
As demand for aged care and disability support services continues to grow across regional New South Wales, many employers in the Orana region rely on the DAMA program to sponsor suitably qualified overseas workers when they are unable to recruit enough local staff.
Under the current NSW Orana DAMA, this occupation benefits from a TSMIT (salary) concession, an age concession of up to 55, and a pathway to permanent residency for eligible applicants. Please note that an English language concession is not available for this occupation under the current occupation list. Eligibility for concessions depends on meeting the relevant DAMA and visa requirements.
At Work Visa Lawyers, Aged or Disabled Carer (ANZSCO 423111) is one of the most common occupations we assist with under the DAMA program. We regularly help employers and overseas workers with employer sponsorship, DAMA applications and permanent residency pathways.
Concessions available
Age
Occupations with Skill Level 1-4: up to 55 years old
Occupations with Skill Level 5: up to 50 years old
English
Some eligible occupations may allow applicants to have lower English scores than the standard requirements (unless higher scores are required for registration/licencing).
For 482/494: IELTS overall 5.0 with no minimum in each band
For 186: IELTS overall 5.0 with minimum 4.0 in each band
Permanent residency pathway
All occupations under the NSW Orana DAMA have a potential pathway to permanent residency through the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa. Generally, eligible workers may apply after living and working in the Orana region for at least two years while holding an eligible employer-sponsored visa, such as the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa, provided they meet all applicable visa requirements.
Salary Concessions
From 1 July 2026, the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) is AU$ 79,423 per year.
For eligible occupations, the NSW Orana DAMA allows employers to access salary concessions below the standard CSIT. Employers must still pay at least the applicable Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for the position and comply with all relevant workplace laws.
Depending on the occupation, one of the following salary concession arrangements may apply:
- 90% of the CSIT (currently AU$ 71,481 per year); or
- A total remuneration package equal to the CSIT, where:
- monetary earnings are at least 90% of the CSIT (AU$ 71,481); and
- approved non-monetary benefits (such as accommodation or meals) make up no more than 10% of the CSIT, resulting in a total package of at least AU$ 79,423.
Please note that salary concessions are occupation-specific. Refer to the current NSW Orana DAMA Occupation List to confirm whether your occupation is eligible for a concession.
Contact us if you need any assistance
Speak with Our DAMA Lawyers or agents
Our experienced team regularly advises employers and overseas workers on NSW Orana DAMA applications for Aged or Disabled Carer (ANZSCO 423111) and other employer-sponsored visa pathways.
Our team includes:
- Luke Edwards – Immigration Lawyer
- Mir Ghulam Mustafa – Immigration Lawyer
- Trang Vu – Immigration Lawyer
- Suman Grewal – Registered Migration Agent
- Avelyn Chen – Consultant
Whether you are an employer looking to sponsor an overseas care worker or an overseas applicant seeking to work in regional New South Wales, our team can provide tailored advice throughout the NSW Orana DAMA process.
