Low skilled migrants with limited English will have the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in Australia after living and working in the Northern Territory for at least three years. 

The new Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs), a regional migration agreement for the Northern Territory and the Warrnambool region in Victoria, has lowered the permanent residency criteria for skills, languages and income for migrant workers. 

For the Northern Territory, this is the second DAMA to fill employment gaps and boost its population further. 

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said that DAMA II will give skilled migrants a big incentive to move to NT to live and work long-term. 

“The Territory Labor Government fought hard for the inclusion of the pathway to permanent residency in this new five-year agreement, which we expect to significantly increase the number of skilled migrants moving to the Territory,” Mr Gunner said.

“More people means more jobs and a stronger economy, which means better schools, better hospitals and more police,” he added. 

The DAMA II lists 117 occupations for skilled migrants, with 36 additional occupations available for overseas nationals. 

The list includes occupations such as accountant, barista, beauty therapist, bus driver, café or restaurant manager, chef, child care worker, cook, dental assistant, early childhood teacher, family day care worker, hairdresser, hotel or motel manager and receptionist, farmers, motor mechanic, nursing support worker, plumber, tour guide and web designer. 

The DAMA II has come into effect from 1 January 2019.