Step 1 – Seek endorsement for one or more occupations/positions

Employers need to be endorsed by the Cairns Chamber of Commerce to access the FNQ DAMA. The request can be made for a single occupation/position or multiple occupations/positions. A request for endorsement is usually assessed in under 10 business days if coherent, well-presented and complete. Incomplete or poorly articulated requests will take longer. As part of the endorsement, the Cairns Chamber of Commerce is able to ‘value add’ with local knowledge that may assist the Department of Home Affairs in assessing steps 2-4. An endorsement fee applies per position sought.

Everything you need to prepare an FNQ DAMA request for endorsement is in the Resources and Forms Section in this webpage. FNQ DAMA endorsement requests are emailed to dama@cairnschamber.com.au 

Step 2 – Request a Labour Agreement (valid for 5 years) 

Once endorsed, the employer is then able to submit an online request for a FNQ DAMA Labour Agreement through the Department of Home Affairs’ ImmiAccount system. The Labour Agreement will stipulate the number of approved occupations and positions, as well as the FNQ DAMA concessions to standard skilled migration criteria. The Labour Agreement is valid for up to five years and can be varied during its lifetime based on business need, such as to have further occupations, positions, or concessions added. There are no government fees to request a Labour Agreement. When endorsing an employer, the Cairns Chamber of Commerce provides the employer or their agent an instruction guide on how to submit a FNQ DAMA Labour Agreement request in ImmiAccount.

Note: Steps 1 and 2 above involve assessment of the business need for the occupation/s and position/s being sought, and not any prospective overseas worker/s who may have been identified.

There is no necessity to have identified any prospective overseas worker/s in order to be endorsed and access a labour agreement, which can be for one or multiple occupation/s and position/s.

The following two steps are about the individual overseas worker/s.

Step 3 – Nominate individual overseas worker/s

Employers can then nominate the overseas worker or workers up to the occupation/position number limits specified in their Labour Agreement, with access to the FNQ DAMA concessions covered by the agreement. Nominees may be onshore (in Australia) or offshore (outside Australia) at time of nomination. Nominations are made in ImmiAccount under the Labour Agreement Stream. An overseas worker’s immediate family may be included in the nomination. Nominations incur standard government charges (see SID 482 or SESR 494 or ENS 186 for the relevant government fees and charges, being sure to refer to the ‘Labour Agreement Stream’ in each case).

Step 4 – Overseas worker/s apply for visa

Once a nomination has been submitted in ImmiAccount the overseas worker/s can apply for their visa. The temporary visa is valid for up to four or five years. Once the overseas worker has been with the employer in FNQ for at least two or three years*, they may be eligible for a permanent visa. Refer to the FNQ DAMA Information Guide in the Resources & Forms tab for details.

Note:  In certain circumstances, time spent in FNQ on previous visas in the same or a similar occupation may be taken into account.  

The following diagram summarises the above four steps and the parties responsible for each.