Let's briefly document two tasks recently completed, both in the area of employer sponsorship but different in nature and each representative in its own way.

Case One: DAMA Agreement Variation (Occupation: Clerk)

We recently successfully completed a DAMA Agreement Variation case. Prior to this, I had already handled one Western Australia DAMA project (shared earlier in a post titled 'Western Australia DAMA: Non-CSOL Occupations / Small-Scale Employers Can Also Sponsor'). Both positions sponsored under these WA DAMA agreements were Clerks, and the two applicants were colleagues.

The core work involved the complete process for a WA DAMA (practical sequence):

Step 1 | DAR Endorsement (Regional Endorsement): This is reviewed and confirmed by a designated area representative body (e.g., EKCCI) to verify that the business genuinely exists and that the position meets a genuine regional shortage need.

Step 2 | DAMA Labour Agreement (Employer Labour Agreement): After DAR approval, a Labour Agreement application is lodged with the Department of Home Affairs to establish the positions, number of workers, and concession conditions the employer is approved to sponsor under.

Step 3 | Agreement Variation (if applicable): If there is a need to add new positions / increase the number of workers / add new occupations, an Agreement Variation must be completed first before proceeding to subsequent steps. This current application required this variation step because Steps 1 and 2 had already been completed when processing the case for the applicant's colleague earlier; this was for an additional/new requirement.

Step 4 | Nomination: Within the framework of the active Labour Agreement, a 482 / 494 nomination application is lodged. (For the first nomination under a new LA, it can be lodged even before the LA is formally activated/comes into effect).

Step 5 | Visa Application: The employee lodges the corresponding visa application and awaits final approval.

DAMA is not only applicable to trade occupations. Once a DAMA Labour Agreement comes into effect, it is typically valid for 5 years. During this period, the employer can adjust positions, add quotas, and carry out Agreement Variations based on business development.

For employers with long-term operations in regional areas facing ongoing recruitment difficulties, DAMA is not a one-off solution but a long-term employment tool. For applicants, it represents a genuine, sustainable, and PR-plannable pathway in regional Australia.

Case Two: Cabinetmaker 482 Nomination Successfully Approved

This was a 482 nomination for a regional cabinetmaking workshop, with the nominated position being Cabinetmaker. On the surface, this appears to be a relatively "standard" blue-collar trade occupation employer sponsorship case. However, in practice, the requirements for material accuracy and position matching are extremely high.

From a practical standpoint, such cases truly test one's ability to manage details, including:Whether the position is highly aligned with the core business operations of the enterprise.

Whether the duty description meets the ANZSCO technical requirements for a Cabinetmaker.

Whether the salary meets the CSIT and market standards.

Whether the LMT (Labour Market Testing) is compliant and forms a logical, closed loop.

Any inadequately handled aspect can directly impact the nomination outcome.

From the perspective of the occupation itself, Cabinetmaker is currently a highly competitive blue-collar occupation in both skilled migration and employer sponsorship streams. Compared to more physically demanding trades like general Carpentry, cabinetmaking leans more towards custom fabrication and indoor manufacturing, with a clearer technical pathway and stable long-term industry demand.

On the skilled migration side, Cabinetmaker has been active in the state nomination lists of multiple states. At the end of October last year, one of my clients was invited for a WA 190 with a score of 60+5 points precisely as a Cabinetmaker. Furthermore, this week WA issued over 1,000 state nomination invitations again to blue-collar workers, indicating this occupation holds strong competitiveness in actual invitation rounds.

Cabinetmaker can be said to be a blue-collar occupation that is currently viable through both skilled migration and employer sponsorship pathways.

NEWPOINT
Conclusion

While both cases shared today fall under employer sponsorship, they are fundamentally different: one involves an expansion at the DAMA agreement level, and the other follows the standard 482 employer sponsorship process.

Completing these two cases serves as another reminder for myself and others: employer sponsorship is not about applying templates, but a comprehensive test of understanding the business, the position, and policy. When suitable opportunities arise later, I will share more detailed breakdowns of such cases.