The four routes side by side
| PALM scheme | Industry labour agreement | Regional DAMA | Company labour agreement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who administers | DEWR (approved employer deed) plus Home Affairs as a temporary activities sponsor | Home Affairs, on a fixed industry template | The region’s Designated Area Representative, then Home Affairs | Home Affairs, negotiated case by case |
| Workers you can recruit | Citizens of participating Pacific countries and Timor-Leste only, via their labour-sending units | Any nationality | Any nationality | Any nationality |
| Where you must be | Anywhere for agriculture; regional and rural for most other sectors | Anywhere, in the named industry | Inside the DAMA region; worker lives and works there | Anywhere |
| Visa | Subclass 403 PALM stream: seasonal up to 9 months, long-term 1 to 4 years | 482 labour-agreement stream, up to 4 years | 482 labour-agreement stream, up to 4 years | 482 labour-agreement stream |
| Concessions | Not applicable (no skilled thresholds) | Fixed in the template: salary, English, sometimes age | Per region and occupation: age, English, salary | Whatever is negotiated and justified |
| Permanent residency | None; the Pacific Engagement Visa is a separate ballot | 186 labour-agreement stream after the template’s period (commonly 2 to 3 years) | 186 labour-agreement stream where the deed provides it | If negotiated |
| Time to first hire | Deed approval then recruitment rounds: months | Agreement request plus LMT: several months the first time | Endorsement, then agreement: six to twelve months the first time | Longest; a year is normal |
| Employer charges | No visa sponsorship charges or levy; employer meets recruitment, flights (recoverable in part), accommodation and welfare obligations under the deed | No agreement fee; nomination A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy per nomination | Regional endorsement fee (varies); nomination A$330 plus levy | Nomination A$330 plus levy |
| Labour market testing | Evidence of local recruitment effort to DEWR | Required, and strengthened for industry agreements since December 2024 | Required at endorsement and nomination | Required |
PALM: large numbers, Pacific workers, no PR
PALM suits employers who need teams rather than individuals: horticulture, meat processing, and increasingly aged care and hospitality in regional areas. You apply online to DEWR for approved-employer status (or recruit through an approved PALM labour-hire company), sign the Approved Employer Deed, and become a Temporary Activities Sponsor with Home Affairs. Workers are recruited through each country’s labour-sending unit; you cannot recruit a named individual from outside the scheme, and the scheme is closed to every other nationality. Obligations are heavier than a 482 sponsor’s on welfare, accommodation and pastoral care, and deductions are regulated. There is no permanent-residency pathway inside PALM. Guidelines 2.1 took effect on 27 March 2026; the official application and employer guide are at palmscheme.gov.au.
Industry labour agreements: any nationality, fixed terms
An industry agreement is a template the Department has already negotiated with the sector, so you request access rather than negotiate. Each covers a short list of occupations with fixed concessions, and most carry a 186 pathway after a qualifying period. The employer-facing detail for each is on its own page: meat, horticulture, dairy, pork, fishing, premium dining, and aged care. Overview: labour agreements explained.
DAMAs: the widest occupation lists, inside a region
A DAMA is the right tool when your business is inside one of the twelve regions and the role is on the region’s list, which for the Northern Territory runs to several hundred occupations including drivers, hospitality front-of-house and plant operators. Endorsement by the regional representative comes first, then a labour agreement, then nominations; concessions on age, English and salary are set per occupation. The worker must live and work in the region. Regions, representatives and how the route works.
Company agreements: when nothing else fits
Large employers with a documented, recurring need outside every template (a resources company, a national processor) can negotiate their own agreement with the Department. It is the slowest route and the Department expects evidence that the standard program, the industry templates and the DAMAs do not meet the need, so it is a last resort rather than a first one.
A quick decision path
- Is the occupation on a skilled list after all? Check the occupation page; many "semi-skilled" roles have a skilled neighbour (cook, nurseryperson, dairy farmer) that is listed.
- Do you need a team for seasonal or shift work, and are you in agriculture or regional Australia? PALM.
- Is your industry one with a template (meat, horticulture, dairy, pork, fishing, aged care, premium dining)? The industry agreement, any nationality, with a PR pathway.
- Are you inside a DAMA region and is the role on its list? The DAMA, especially for drivers and hospitality.
- None of the above and a large, recurring need? A company agreement, with a year’s lead time.
Whichever route, the candidate side on SponsorTalent is the same: search by occupation, filter by location and visa status, and unlock contacts at A$30.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the PALM scheme to hire a worker from Nepal or the Philippines? No. PALM is open only to citizens of the participating Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste, recruited through their governments’ labour-sending units. For other nationalities in semi-skilled roles the routes are an industry labour agreement, a regional DAMA or a company agreement.
Which is faster, a DAMA or an industry labour agreement? Usually the industry agreement, because the template is fixed and there is no regional endorsement step; several months the first time. A DAMA adds endorsement by the regional representative before the Department issues the agreement, commonly six to twelve months for the first hire. Both are quick for later nominations.
Do labour agreement nominations pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy? Yes. The levy (A$1,200 per visa year for businesses under A$10m turnover, A$1,800 above) and the nomination charge apply to 482 labour-agreement nominations as to standard ones. PALM uses the subclass 403 and carries no sponsorship levy, but has its own employer cost obligations under the deed.
Can a PALM worker become a permanent resident? Not through PALM. The separate Pacific Engagement Visa is a ballot-based permanent visa, not an employer route. Industry agreements and most DAMAs include a 186 labour-agreement pathway after a qualifying period of sponsored work.
Do I still need labour market testing under a labour agreement or DAMA? Yes. Labour market testing is required for industry agreements (strengthened in December 2024), at DAMA endorsement and nomination, and for company agreements. PALM employers must show DEWR evidence of efforts to recruit locally.
Find the workers once you have picked the route
Farm, meat, care, hospitality and driving candidates with location and visa status visible before you unlock a contact.
Want the paperwork done? WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) lodges sponsorship, nomination and visa applications on fixed fees; start with a 30-minute consultation, $330 inc. GST, credited if you engage.
Candidates: looking for sponsorship in one of these roles? The honest candidate guide.
General information only, not migration advice. SponsorTalent is a marketplace; migration advice is provided by WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) under a service agreement. Occupation list status is read from the Department of Home Affairs lists as published; lists, caveats and labour-agreement terms change, and the Department's current page is the only authority. Figures: Department of Home Affairs price list and salary page, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; processing times published 29 September 2026. No outcome can be guaranteed.