Fees and charges

There are costs involved in sponsoring an overseas worker under the  Orana DAMA. The overall  process involves a number of parties who charge fees for service including recruiting agencies, job advertising, migration agents (not compulsory), skills assessing authorities , English testing authorities, RDA Orana and the Department of Home Affairs.

A recruitment and/or migration agent may be engaged by the employer, the employee or both. It is possible for each party to have their own migration agent, or for neither party to use one. These arrangements are made privately between each party and their fees will vary with the range of services provided.

If you decide you want professional help, use an agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA).

Expenses for the business

Advertising to meet the labour market testing requirements is compulsory, and as such may incur a cost to the business. A number of platforms exist that satisfy the requirements for national reach. Some of these platforms are free, others charge a fee for service.

For an initial business endorsement by RDA Orana, the charge is $1000 plus GST for each position being requested under the Orana DAMA, paid to RDA Orana at the time of application.

For the Department of Home Affairs Labour fees and charges please refer to their website

These fees are paid at the time of application to the Department of Home Affairs.

Relocation costs are subject to Specified Obligations to Endorsed Employers and will vary with the commencement location of the nominated employee.

You must not, or attempt to, transfer or charge these costs to another person such as a sponsored visa holder or their sponsored family members.

Expenses for the nominated employee

Nominated employees are responsible for ensuring their documentation meets the requirements for the visa they are applying for. The visa application process may include charges for skills assessments from the relevant authority and English testing requirements.

Department of Home Affairs Visa Application Charges

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/fees-and-charges

Nominated employees will be responsible for healthcare and education costs for themselves and their families.

Additional employees or variation of concessions

You may wish to add employees or vary the concessions of your business or employees.

A variation is essentially a completely new application and will be subject to the same fees and process as a new application.

Permanent residence pathway

The Orana DAMA will assist businesses in eligible industries (and appropriate occupations) to retain their nominated migrant staff in a permanent capacity. Once a nominated employee has  worked in the agreed role for a minimum of three years, and assuming they meet the requirements for the ENS permanent visa stage (for example, upgrading their English skills) then the business can apply for a variation to the DAMA Labour Agreement and subsequently lodge an ENS nomination application to sponsor the employee for an ENS visa.

This variation is essentially a completely new application and will be subject to the same fees and processes as a new application, with reduced requirements for Labour Market Testing.

Terms & Conditions – See Orana  DAMA 3 Part Application and Sponsor Obligations