The Pilbara Regional Council is undertaking an ambitious project, seeking to support the Pilbara Cities vision of two population centres of 50,000 residents with the establishment of a Regional Migration Agreement for the Pilbara. The Regional Migration Agreement program is a new temporary skilled migration initiative from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to help address the acute skill and labour shortages facing parts of regional Australia. This initiative will enable employers to sponsor workers from outside Australia in circumstances that are not otherwise permitted under the standard migration programs. The program is designed to increase capacity in regional labour markets that are experiencing these shortages. The major benefit of the program is to allow Pilbara employers (including member Local Governments) to sponsor workers in a broader range of occupations that are currently not included in standard skilled migration programs. An RMA is a streamlined process for small to medium businesses wanting to gain access to workers from outside Australia.