186 Labour Agreement stream and South Australian DAMA pathways
Employer Nomination Scheme · Labour Agreement
Does the employer’s agreement include permanent residence?
Ask for the employer’s executed labour agreement and its current schedules. A published industry template or a regional endorsement can help you understand the process. The signed terms tell you what this employer can use.
Read the agreement with the nomination in mind
Check the legal employer, agreement dates, permitted visa subclass, occupation, location and number of available places. Read any deed of variation. An agreement that supports temporary recruitment may have different conditions for permanent nominations. Keep a record of places already used in the relevant agreement year.
Check the individual worker’s pathway
Identify required employment with the business or in the occupation, qualifications, skills assessment, age and English provisions. Match each claimed concession to the clause and the worker’s evidence. A salary concession alone gives no age concession. The visa criteria also address experience in the occupation or a related field, subject to the applicable provisions.
For an SA DAMA employer
Use the South Australian employer guidance to identify the relevant area, endorsement process and permanent pathway. Ask whether an endorsement or variation is needed for this request and whether the Commonwealth agreement already covers it. Compare the nominated role, workplace and approved terms before the employer pays a levy or the worker lodges a visa.
One approved place and two eligible employees
A business has an agreement allowing one permanent nomination in the relevant year. Before promising both employees a pathway, check whether the place has already been used. If another place or occupation is needed, establish the variation process and approval before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a worker apply directly to the region for a permanent place?
The employer needs the relevant agreement and nominates the worker. The worker then makes the visa application and provides their own eligibility evidence.
Does a previous 482 under a DAMA establish the 186 pathway?
Check the permanent residence provision, any qualifying service, the occupation and the current employer’s agreement. Retain earlier grant notices and records of work at the approved location.
What if the agreement changes while we are preparing?
Obtain the dated variation and compare it with the original schedules. Check when the change applies and which terms govern this nomination and visa application.
Sources and related guides
Reviewed 7 November 2026.
