The Pilbara Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) will help to fill critical labour shortages in the region and give employers struggling with skills shortages the opportunity to employ overseas workers more easily.

“The new Pilbara DAMA will help fill gaps in the labour market and bring huge benefits for both the local community and migrants,” said Town of Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter.

The Pilbara is located in the north of Western Australia with most of the population spread along the Indian Ocean coast at its western border, it is responsible for a major portion of the production, value, exports and investments of extraction industries commodities, particularly iron ore and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Pilbara DAMA outlines occupations that are facing a skills shortage and provides visa pathways for a Temporary Skilled Shortage visa, (Subclass 482) available to those who are qualified in those occupations.

There is a broad range of occupations on the Pilbara DAMA across many industries including bar supervisors, clinical psychologists and a range of trade workers.

Regional Development Australia Pilbara Chief Executive Officer Tony Simpson believes skilled migrants will enjoy living in the Pilbara. “More than 50% of the occupations listed on the DAMA are roles which service our community. The DAMA is more than just mining and industry, and aims to build a stronger community,” he said.

The Pilbara is home to many amazing places, supportive communities and thousands of kilometres of pristine beaches, its spectacular natural beauty is legendary within Australia.

The relatively small towns of Port Headland and Karratha have a combined gross decimal product of A$16.636 billion and are considered the powerhouses of the Australian economy.

The record-low unemployment rate of 3.3% at the moment and the fact that the economy has thrived through the pandemic means there is no better time to start a brighter future here and experience a comfortable, safe, peaceful way of life that is the envy of the world.

Easy Migrate is here to help you along your migration journey with expert advice and personal support. Call or schedule an appointment with us, we promise you will not regret it.

The post New DAMA Agreement Will Help Migrants Get Visas in WA’s Pilbara Region appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Migrate to Perth, Western Australia

Words by Emma Gallagher

Australia is one of the largest countries on our planet, and Western Australia (known as WA) is the largest state. WA covers an impressive third of Australia’s landmass. The Indian Ocean borders WA to the west and north, the Great Australian Blight and the Southern Ocean to the south, South Australia to the southeast and the Northern Territory to the northeast. 

The States capital Perth, is known for being one of the most isolated cities in the world. The closest city is Adelaide in South Australia, which is a short 2,200km away. Perth may be isolated, but this has not stopped Perth becoming one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities over the last decade.

Due to the mining boom, Western Australia is full of young people from all over the world working in every industry and profession.

Why you should move to Perth

Perth has fantastic public transport, excellent bicycle/pedestrian paths that run for hundreds of kilometres along some of the world’s most beautiful coastline. There are numerous vast open spaces throughout the city and suburbs alike filled with walks, lakes, parks and shaded areas to escape the midday sun. Try to imagine what it would be like to live in a city where the public facilities are better than fantastic, free hot showers at the beach and free sizzling barbecues to use at the many beaches and parks.

Regional Area and Regional Visas

Western Australia is a regional area (including Perth), meaning that you can apply for the new regional visas subclass 491 and 494. To apply for a State Nominated Skilled visa (subclass 190 or 491), you must be nominated by a State or Territory such as the Government of Western Australia (WA). To be eligible for WA nomination you must meet both the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) criteria for the nominated visa and the WA criteria for State nomination.

DAMA Area

Western Australia’s Goldfields region currently has an active Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) agreement. DAMA is a formal agreement between the Australian Government and a regional, state or territory authority. It provides access to more overseas workers than the standard skilled migration program. 

Study Pathways

Western Australia has world-class education institutions like Edith Cowan and Curtin Universities. It is to see why thousands of international students come in their droves not only they receive some of the education in the world, but they provided with a safe environment to study and has a strong economy. It is a resource-rich growth state, providing the opportunity for industry work experience and part-time work while you study. Not mention some students may be eligible for Graduate visas pathways which can lead to Australian permanent residency once they complete their studies.

With over 2 million people, including a mix of cultures from all around the world, speaking over 170 languages and practising over 100 religions, you’ll always feel welcome and respected in Western Australia.   

Western Australia is not the only part of Australia that allows valid applicants to apply, The Gold Coast, Queensland, Northern Territory, Regional Victoria, Regional New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania all are open to immigration applications.

If you would like more information on getting started on your journey to Australia, please fill in our initial Online Assessment form to see if you qualify. You can book a face-2-face appointment, telephone or Skype with one of our Registered Migrations Agents through our online booking calendar.

The post Western Australia Now Open for Migration appeared first on Easy Migrate.

By Emma Gallagher

On 16th November 2019 Australia launched its new regional migration scheme. Scott Morrisons Government announced in March 2019 that it was “stepping up its commitment to regional Australia” by ensuring that the Australian migration system encourages skilled migrants to live and work in smaller cities and regions.

From Saturday 16th November 2019 most locations of Australia outside major cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) are classed as designated regional areas for migration purposes.

The designated regional areas will be split into two categories:

1. Cities and major regional centres
2. Regional centres and other areas

Each category will have access to regional benefits:

• 25,000 dedicated regional places
• regional visa applications will have priority processing
• more occupations will be added to Regional Occupation List
• international graduates with a bachelor or higher qualification from a regional campus of a registered institution will be eligible for an extra year in Australia on a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
• Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA) can also be negotiated for some region-specific regional centres and other regional areas.

Cyrus Mistry Comments

Cyrus Mistry is the founder of EasyMigrate, where he has been specialising
in Australian migration for 20 years.

It is good to see this bold initiative by the Federal Goverment. There will be 504 “occupations” avaiable for the new subcalss 491 and about 650 occupations for the company sponsored subclass494.

We are hoping that the State Governments support this initiative by including these occupations for state-nomination. (Only Victoria has said “yes” to the listat the time of writing this article). I encourage prospective migrants to look seriously at this new option that has opened.

The subclass 491 & subclass 494 visas are provisional visas for five years and you can get “permanent residency” after three years of living and working in “Regional”

New Regional Postcodes

The Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) has a list of postcodes that specify designated regional areas.

The list of postcodes applies to the following visas:

Regional visas:

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)* – designated regional areas only apply to visa holders nominated by a State and Territory government agency whose visa was granted after 16 November 2019.

Skilled visas:

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

Employer sponsored visas:

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187)
Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) – only if the position is located in regional Australia, the nomination fee is waived.
Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) – if using an occupation on the Regional Occupation List for this subclass.

Business investment visas

Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888)
State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner visa (subclass 892)

Online Assessment form

The post New Designated regional areas in Australia appeared first on Easy Migrate.

More skilled migrants look set to fulfil their dream of living in Australia if they consider moving to regional area….

Emma Gallagher (EasyMigrate marketing manager), has had an article about relocating to regional Australia featured in this months edition of the UK’s Australia New Zealand magazine. 

POINTS-TESTED MIGRATION

Skilled Migration visas are by far the most common migration pathway to Australia. These visas allow foreign nationals who are successful in their respective occupations to live in Australia as permanent residents.
To be eligible for a skilled visa pathway, you must meet certain criteria. For
instance, your occupation must be on one of the skill shortages lists, and you must thave scored a minimum number of points. Points are based on age (and they decrease the older a person is), qualifications, work experience, an English test and a state-based points system, depending on the kinds of skilled workers each state requires.
From July 2018 the “pass mark” increased from 60 to 65 points. In
addition to this, the number of applicants and the competition from this, means that for many, it is unlikely that they will get an invitation unless they have over 70 points.
Perth-based migration agent Cyrus Mistry says that getting enough points is
particularly difficult for older people with trade skills, which he said are the
occupations most in-demand in some areas of Australia. He regularly sees UK applicants on waiting lists for up two years.

❛ The number of applicants means that it
is unlikely that they will get an invitation
unless they have over 70 points❜

Anthony Kelly from Northern Ireland was one of these people. Anthony says that he had enough points to apply for an EOI back in August 2017. He lodged his EOI, and in his mind, he would be in Australia by August 2018, and he could not have been more wrong. Anthony had 60 points, which were the minimum back in 2017. He received an email last month (August 2019) from the Australian Skill Select department telling him that his EOI had expired.
Unfortunately, thousands of people who lodge an EOI receive this email after waiting two very long years. Fortunately for Anthony, he is now in
Australia as he had a regional 489 visa granted through the Northern Territory January 2019. Anthony says that he wanted to be in Perth, Western Australia, as his brothers and their families are located there, but when he realised he might never get an invitation he decided
to look at other options. Anthony says that he considered giving
up on Australia entirely and was going to try for New Zealand, but he was advised him to apply for the Northern Territory. Anthony lodged his EOI to the Northern Territory Government September 2018; he received an invitation October 2018 and his visa was granted January 2019.
The 489 visa is a provisional visa for four years, and provided Anthony meets the conditions of living in the Northern Territory for one year, and working in the state for two years he can then apply for permanent residency. Anthony says that he is happy at the outcome, and as he
sees it, he could be still in the UK waiting for an invitation, but he is in
Australia and has nearly completed his first year in the Northern Territory.

REGIONAL PATHWAYS

The current Australian Government is tackling the impact of increasing
population in its biggest cities, like Sydney and Melbourne, by promoting
Regional Australia as a more assessable migration option. Designated Area
Migration Agreement (DAMA) applications have increased, with the
Northern Territory, the Western Australian Goldfields, Victoria’s Great
South Coast, the city of Adelaide and Regional South Australia, the Orana
region of New South Wales and Far North Queensland all having DAMAs
in place.

❛A DAMA labour agreement is between
the Government and endorsed
employers within an eligible region❜

Cyrus Mistry says that a DAMA labour agreement is between the Australian
Government and endorsed employers operating within an eligible region.
Under DAMA, employers in the designated areas experiencing skills and
labour shortages can sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers.
The Goldfields region in Western Australia currently has an active

DAMA agreement covering 73 occupations. The City of Kalgoorlie-
Boulder, which is located just under 600 kilometres from Perth, want migrants to come and live in their community.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder offers a family orientated, small-town “old-school
Australian” lifestyle. According to John Walker, the CEO of the City of
Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the town has an estimated 1,500 job vacancies in a range of industries, including mining, engineering, construction, childcare,
hospitality and healthcare, among others. Earlier this year, the Australian
government announced two new regional (provisional) visas. The Subclass 491 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa will have 14,000 places to allocate each year and the Subclass 494 Skilled Employer- Sponsored visa will have 9,000 places to allocate each year. These will come into
effect November 2019.
Anthony Kelly says that people should not be discouraged by regional Australia but see it as an opportunity to fulfil their dream of living in Australia.
He said: “I am nearly one year in and it has gone so quick. After two years, if I want to, then I can go back to Perth.”
Fiona Ward, who migrated to Kalgoorlie-Boulder from the UK eight
years ago, said that she thought she would prefer Sydney o r Melbourne, but they were too big and fast-paced. She has made Kalgoorlie her home and runs a successful construction company with her husband,who is also from the UK.

Online Assessment form

The post Why Choose Regional Australia appeared first on Easy Migrate.

Following statement was released by The Hon David Coleman MP – https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au/davidcoleman/Pages/kalgoorlie-boulder-secures-dama.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1AtkFrcN5SsHxWlVy9V9NXEkDViyf4W_tmpcqA5VkaHOEyUdaQ4uBuRH

Western Australia’s Goldfields region is set to receive an economic boost with the Morrison Government signing a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

The Goldfields will be among one of the first regions in Australia to enter a five-year agreement with the Commonwealth aimed at ensuring skilled migrants contribute through employment in key roles where Australian workers are not available.

The new arrangements will assist a range of industries including mining, engineering, construction, childcare and health among others helping to drive economic growth and fill critical employment gaps.

Covering 73 occupations, up to 500 people per year will be able to be sponsored over the five-year agreement through the Kalgoorlie-Boulder DAMA.

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, David Coleman said the Federal Government is working to address the skills needs of regional Australia.

“The Morrison Government is working to support the growth of regions and match our migration program with labour market needs, particularly in regional Australia,” Mr Coleman said.

“Our first priority is always to fill jobs with Australians, but the immigration system can play an important role in helping to address regional skills gaps.

“We have seen the success of the DAMA arrangement in the Northern Territory and the Government is committed to supporting the skills needs of regional Australia where Australian workers are not available to fill those jobs.

Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson commended the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder for their hard work and willingness to work with the Commonwealth to support the local community.

“The Goldfields has suffered from a skilled workforce shortage for too long which is having a negative impact on the entire community,” Mr Wilson said.

“Through this agreement, we will see more families moving to the Goldfields which will in turn have a flow-on effect on the economy.”

Chief Executive Officer of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder John Walker said the DAMA would offer a solution to ongoing skill shortages and the estimated 1,500 job vacancies in the Goldfields region.

“The City welcomes the Federal Government’s support and believes a DAMA will encourage skilled migrants to come work and reside in regional Western Australia,” Mr Walker said.

“We are very pleased to see this five-year labour agreement between the Shires of Coolgardie, Leonora and Menzies and the City with the Federal Government, with the strong support of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Regional Development Australia Goldfields Esperance come to fruition.”

The Government will continue to engage and work with regions around the country experiencing skill shortages to find tailored solutions through the use of a DAMA.

To find out if you qualify for DAMA please call our office on +61 8 9221 4888 or book an appointment online.

The post Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) approved in Western Australia appeared first on Easy Migrate.