Northern Territory DAMA and the 482 Visa: Occupations, Concessions and Endorsement

The NT DAMA lets any Northern Territory employer sponsor a 482 worker in one of 325 occupations until 30 June 2030, once MigrationNT has endorsed the business. NT DAMA III took effect on 19 March 2025, covers the whole Territory and allows up to 1,500 nominations a year across the 482 and 494. Check that the occupation is on the NT DAMA list, then apply to MigrationNT for endorsement through the NT DAMA online portal before requesting a labour agreement from Home Affairs.

Who endorses NT DAMA positions?

MigrationNT, part of the NT Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations (DTBAR), endorses NT DAMA positions. After endorsement, the business enters a 5 years labour agreement with Home Affairs that sets how many workers it can nominate, in which occupations and with which concessions. The endorsement application is made through the NT DAMA online portal, and DTBAR’s NT DAMA pages set out the criteria MigrationNT applies to the business.

The DTBAR fees and charges page lists no charge for MigrationNT endorsement, for skills verification of selected occupations, or for the labour agreement. The Home Affairs nomination fee of $330, the Skilling Australians Fund levy of $1,200 or $1,800 a year, and the worker’s visa charge still apply.

NT DAMA III: in effect from 19 March 2025 to 30 June 2030

NT DAMA III is the Territory’s third DAMA; the NT set up the first in 2015. NT DAMA II expired on 13 December 2024, and the Assistant Minister’s release of 19 March 2025 set out what changed:

• up to 1,500 approved nominations a year, up from 625;
• 325 occupations, up from 135;
• in effect until 30 June 2030, confirmed in Home Affairs news item 1305.

Employers holding an NT DAMA II labour agreement keep nominating under their approved ceilings. They need a new NT DAMA III endorsement and labour agreement for more places, new occupations or new concessions, and to nominate a worker for the 186. Pages that still describe 135 occupations and 625 nominations a year are describing NT DAMA II.

The NT sits alongside 12 other regions in the DAMA visa comparison of every agreement’s endorsing body, area and concessions.

Which 325 occupations does the NT DAMA list?

The NT DAMA occupations list holds 325 occupations across all five ANZSCO skill levels. Counted by this guide from that list on 24 September 2026:

Truck driver (general) is one of the skill level 4 occupations. Eight roles sit outside ANZSCO and carry the code 070499: bar attendant (supervisor), civil construction site supervisor, cook (specialist ethnic cuisine), electrical motor repairer or winder, high access maintenance and cleaning technician, hospitality worker, skilled horticultural worker and waiter (supervisor).

Each occupation carries a qualification-and-experience category from A to P, and the work experience must fall within the 5 years before lodgement. If the business can use an industry labour agreement for an occupation, the NT DAMA is not available for that occupation. DTBAR reviews the list each year, informed by the NT Skilled Occupations Priority List.

Which concessions does the NT DAMA give?

The standard 482 needs 5.0 in each of the four components for tests from 13 September 2025, under the English Language Test Requirements for Subclass 482 Visas Instrument 2025 on the Federal Register of Legislation. The NT concession lowers both the overall score and the band minimum, but only for occupations the NT list marks with the English concession.

What salary must an NT DAMA position pay?

An NT DAMA position pays the market salary for the occupation and at least the CSIT, $79,423 from 1 July 2026, for a 482 or 186, or the TSMIT, $79,423, for a 494. With the concession, which DTBAR offers for every listed occupation where the NT market rate is below the threshold, the floor drops to 85%: $67,510 from 1 July 2026, or the market salary if that is higher.

The concessional amount must be guaranteed annual earnings paid in money, excluding superannuation. Non-monetary benefits count toward it up to 10% of the concessional threshold, $6,751, only where all of the conditions DTBAR lists on its concessions page apply. The worker is paid the higher of the concessional floor and the NT market salary for the occupation.

The market-rate and threshold rules behind these figures are explained in the guide to 482 visa salary requirements.

The NT salary concession is available only where the NT market rate for the occupation is below the threshold, and any non-monetary benefit counted toward it must meet DTBAR’s conditions, so an Australian migration lawyer who prepares the market-salary evidence with the endorsement makes the nomination more likely to be approved.

Truck drivers and other occupations off the CSOL

Truck Driver (General), ANZSCO 733111, is on the NT DAMA list at skill level 4, with the English concession and the under-55 age limit. It is not on the Core Skills Occupation List in LIN 24/089 on the Federal Register of Legislation, so a Core Skills 482 is not available for it; the NT DAMA opens the Labour Agreement stream instead.

The other DAMAs and labour agreements that take drivers are compared in the guide to truck driver sponsorship Australia.

Does the NT DAMA lead to permanent residence?

Yes. An NT employer can sponsor the worker for the 186 through the NT DAMA once the worker has full-time (or part-time equivalent) work in the NT in the nominated occupation for 2 years in the 3 years before nomination. The DTBAR permanent residence page adds three conditions:

• the worker is under 55 (skill levels 1 to 4) or under 50 (skill level 5);
• the worker meets the English concession for the occupation, or IELTS 6 where the occupation has no concession;
• the employer holds an NT DAMA III labour agreement: an NT DAMA II agreement is not enough for a 186.

A 494 holder can move to the 191 after working for an NT DAMA endorsed employer for 3 years.

The South Australian DAMAs

South Australia runs two DAMAs, Adelaide City and SA Regional, both extended to 31 January 2027 while a statewide agreement is negotiated. Their salary concession is 90% of the threshold against the NT’s 85%, and their main English concession is IELTS 5.0 overall with 4.0 in each band. Both are set out on the DAMA South Australia page.