DAMA skills assessment
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A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) skills assessment is for applicants applying for a skilled migration visa under a DAMA. It is an assessment of your early childhood education and care qualifications and employment experience to determine comparability against the assessment standards of a DAMA.
An ACECQA DAMA Skills Assessment is a separate application process to ACECQA’s skills assessment function under the standard skilled migration program and qualification assessment function under the National Quality Framework (NQF).
| If you require a skills assessment for the Child Care Worker (group leaders only) or Child Care Centre Manager occupations, please see the Skilled Migration section of our website, these applications are processed under the standard skilled migration program, not under individual DAMA's. |
If you require both a DAMA Skills Assessment and a Qualifications Assessment under the NQF you do not need to submit two separate applications. You will just need to submit a DAMA skills assessment application and ACECQA will automatically complete both assessments.
Eligibility
Child Care Worker occupation
You are eligible to apply for a DAMA skills assessment if your nominated occupation is Child Care Worker and you intend to migrate to Australia under one of the following DAMA programs:
- (East) Kimberley Region in Western Australia
- Far North Queensland
- Goldfields Western Australia
- Great South Coast region of Victoria
- Northern Territory
- Orana New South Wales
- Pilbara Region in Western Australia
- South Australia Regional
- South West Region of Western Australia
- Townsville
Family Day Care Worker occupation
You are eligible to apply for an ACECQA DAMA skills assessment if your nominated occupation is Family Day Care Worker and you intend to migrate to Australia under the following DAMA program:
Preschool Aide occupation
You are eligible to apply for an ACECQA DAMA skills assessment if your nominated occupation is Preschool Aide and you intend to migrate to Australia under the following DAMA program:
Out of School Hours Care Worker occupation
You are eligible to apply for an ACECQA DAMA skills assessment if your nominated occupation is Out of School Hours Care Worker and you intend to migrate to Australia under one of the following DAMA programs:
ACECQA does not complete DAMA skills assessments for any other occupations. Please contact the relevant Designated Area Representative (DAR) if you have any questions about migrating to Australia under the DAMA program.
You must check with the Department of Home Affairs before submitting your application to ensure your visa pathway requires a skills assessment.
How to apply for a DAMA Skills Assessment
Step 1
Read the DAMA Skills Assessment Application Guidelines.
ACECQA assesses applications against the assessment standards set out in the below documents:
Child Care Worker occupation
- (East) Kimberley Region in Western Australia (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Far North Queensland (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Goldfields Western Australia (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Great South Coast region of Victoria (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Northern Territory (Child Care Worker) DAMA Standards
- Orana New South Wales (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Pilbara Region in Western Australia (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- South Australia regional (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- South West Region of Western Australia (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Townsville (Child Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
Family Day Care Worker occupation
Preschool Aide occupation
Out of School Hours Care Worker occupation
- Far North Queensland (Out of School Hours Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
- Pilbara Region in Western Australia (Out of School Hours Care Worker) DAMA Assessment Standards
If you are concerned that you may not satisfy these standards, you can seek general advice about the application process and assessment standards before lodging your application. Please call 1300 422 327 or email the Qualifications Team at [email protected].
ACECQA is unable to answer questions or provide advice on migration, visa or points requirements. These questions should be directed to the Department of Home Affairs.
Step 2
Prepare the required supporting documentation for your application.
The supporting evidence required as part of your application will depend on whether you already hold a suitable qualification or need your qualifications assessed under the NQF as part of your Skills Assessment.
You may be asked to provide the following documents:
- A certified colour copy of your valid passport (identity page only)
- A certified colour copy of your evidence of change of name (if applicable)
- Evidence you hold an ACECQA nationally approved qualification at the relevant level (if applicable)
- A certified colour copy of your official certificate/parchment for your qualification/s
- A certified colour copy of your official academic transcript for your qualification/s (this must include all years of study)
- Formal employment contract in the nominated occupation
- Formal position description in the nominated occupation
- Evidence of service registration/regulation for each period of relevant employment
- Employer Reference Template (written by your employer) for all employment experience you are claiming
- Employment Experience Template for all employment experience you are claiming
- Applicant Declaration and Consent Form
- Authorised Representative Declaration and Consent Form (if applicable)
- Migration Agent Declaration and Consent Form
- Evidence of English language proficiency (only for applicants who do not currently hold an ACECQA approved qualification).
Any documents in a language other than English will need to be translated. Certified colour copies of both the original and translated documents will need to be provided. For further information on how to certify your documents please refer to the certifying documents information sheet.
For more information on the required documentation refer to the DAMA Skills Assessment Application Guidelines.
Step 3
Have your employers/referees complete the Employer Reference Template.
Complete your Employment Experience Template.
Step 4
Complete the DAMA Skills Assessment Application Form.
Pay the application fee and provide the receipt number on page 18 of the application form. Please refer to the indexed fee schedule for the current application fee.
What happens to my application?
ACECQA will email you within 10 working days once your application has been received. We are committed to completing your assessment within 60 days from receiving all the information we require. If your application is missing information or documents, then the application process will be delayed.
Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence. ACECQA conducts thorough checking of submitted documents and will notify the relevant Australian Government Department and law enforcement agency where it has reason to believe that false or misleading information is provided.
Further information on the assessment process is outlined in the DAMA Skills Assessment Application Guidelines and FAQ’s.
How do I receive my outcome?
We will notify you of the outcome of your application by email. If successful, you will receive a certificate by mail. If unsuccessful, you will receive reasons for the decision.
If your application is successful, you will be able to contact the Department of Home Affairs to complete the relevant visa application process.
If you have additional evidence or believe that evidence provided with your application has not adequately been considered, you can request a review of your Skills Assessment.