The Townsville DAMA lets employers in Townsville and eight other North Queensland council areas sponsor 482 workers in occupations outside the standard lists, once Townsville Enterprise Limited, the designated area representative, endorses the business. The agreement was signed on 1 April 2022 with 195 occupations across manufacturing, health care and social assistance, transport, and professional, scientific and technical services, and businesses could apply from 1 July 2022. Check the occupation and location against Townsville Enterprise’s current list, then request endorsement before lodging a labour agreement request with Home Affairs.
| Setting | Townsville DAMA, 24 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Endorsing body | Townsville Enterprise Limited |
| Area at signing | City of Townsville, Hinchinbrook Shire, Charters Towers Regional Council, Burdekin Shire, City of Mount Isa, Shire of Cloncurry, Shire of McKinlay, Shire of Richmond, Shire of Flinders |
| Agreement | Signed 1 April 2022; applications from 1 July 2022; in place at 24 September 2026 |
| Current end date | Not published on a government page |
| Occupations | 195 at signing; current count not published on a government page |
| Age, English and salary concessions | Not published on a government page |
| Endorsement fee | Not published on a government page |
| Checked | 24 September 2026 |
| Item | Amount | Applies from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS score for a 482 (each of the four components) | 5.0 | 13 September 2025 | Home Affairs: sufficient English for the 482 |
| English test must be taken within | 3 years | 13 September 2025 | Home Affairs: sufficient English for the 482 |
| 482 nomination fee | $330 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, turnover under $10 million (per year nominated) | $1,200 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, turnover $10 million or more (per year nominated) | $1,800 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
Who endorses Townsville DAMA positions?
Townsville Enterprise Limited is the designated area representative (DAR). The Minister’s release of 1 April 2022 describes it as a peak economic development and destination marketing organisation that administers access to the DAMA. Home Affairs lists it against the Townsville agreement, and Migration Queensland names it as the operator. Employers must show they tried to hire a local worker and could not before they use the agreement.
Which sectors does it serve?
The Townsville DAMA serves four sectors named at signing:
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance
- Transport
- Professional, scientific and technical services
The sector list sets the region’s focus; the core DAMA visa requirements of endorsement, a labour agreement and a nomination are the same in every region.
Which North Queensland council areas does it cover?
Nine council areas were covered at signing, running from the coast to the north-west:
- Coast: City of Townsville, Hinchinbrook Shire, Burdekin Shire.
- Inland: Charters Towers Regional Council.
- North-west: City of Mount Isa, Shire of Cloncurry, Shire of McKinlay, Shire of Richmond, Shire of Flinders.
Townsville Enterprise’s website sets out the current area. Check it before relying on the 2022 list.
How many occupations does the Townsville list hold?
The Townsville list held 195 occupations at signing, according to the Minister’s release of 1 April 2022. The current list is published by Townsville Enterprise, not on a government page, so no government source states the current count.
Which concessions does the Townsville DAMA give, including English?
Townsville concessions are not published on a government page. The 482 Labour Agreement stream sets the default: English “equivalent to the subclass 482” applies “unless the labour agreement provides an English language concession”, according to the Home Affairs Labour Agreement stream page.
In the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, that standard is 5.0 in each of the four components for tests from 13 September 2025, with a test no more than 3 years old when the evidence is provided, under the Migration (English Language Test Requirements for Subclass 482 Visas) Instrument 2025. A worker without a concession meets the full standard; the other accepted tests and exemptions are set out in the guide to 482 English. The 482 has no age requirement, so any age concession matters only at the 186 or 494 step.
An English concession exists only if the Townsville labour agreement grants it for that occupation, so an immigration lawyer who checks the endorsed terms before the worker books a test makes an approved visa more likely and a refusal on English less likely.
Nominating a Townsville DAMA position
- Endorsement. Request endorsement from Townsville Enterprise Limited, with evidence of the attempt to hire locally.
- Labour agreement request. Lodge the request in ImmiAccount. Home Affairs charges nothing for it.
- Nomination. Nominate the worker for $330 and pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy of $1,200 or $1,800 for each year nominated.
- Visa application. The worker applies for the 482 in the Labour Agreement stream.
Home Affairs assesses the nomination against the labour agreement’s terms; the position, pay and evidence tests are covered in the guide to 482 nomination requirements.
The Far North Queensland DAMA
North of the Townsville area, the Far North Queensland DAMA covers Cairns, the Tablelands, the Cassowary Coast, Cape York and the Torres Strait, with the Cairns Chamber of Commerce as the endorsing body.
Unregistered agents
An unregistered agent who gives immigration assistance on a sponsorship, nomination or visa is breaking the law (Migration Act 1958 s 280). They also carry no professional indemnity insurance, so if their mistake leads to a refusal, lost fees or a closed pathway, the worker or employer has no insurer to claim against. A practising Australian lawyer must carry that insurance.
Questions people ask
Is Townsville in the DAMA region?
Yes. The City of Townsville is one of the nine council areas named in the Townsville DAMA when it was signed in April 2022.
Can I get a DAMA visa in Queensland?
Yes, if a Queensland employer in the Townsville or Far North Queensland DAMA area is endorsed, holds a DAMA labour agreement and nominates you.
Can I get PR through the Townsville DAMA?
Only where the employer's labour agreement includes the 186 Labour Agreement stream. The age and work terms for that step are set in the agreement.
Does the Townsville DAMA cover Mount Isa?
Yes at signing: the City of Mount Isa and the Shires of Cloncurry, McKinlay, Richmond and Flinders were included. Townsville Enterprise's website sets out the current area.