Form 956 and Form 956A: Which One Appoints Your Migration Agent?

Form 956 vs Form 956A: The Critical Difference

The two forms do different jobs. Form 956 — Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person: this is the form that formally appoints your agent to act for you. It lets the Department deal with your agent on your behalf, and confirms the agent is providing immigration assistance. Form 956A — Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient: this nominates a person to receive written communications about your application. An authorised recipient is only a point of contact for documents — they cannot give immigration advice, make submissions, or represent you. A common scenario for Form 956A is nominating a spouse, family member or friend to receive your correspondence while you handle the application yourself. If someone is actively advising you or running your application, you need Form 956; if their role is limited to receiving mail, you use Form 956A.

Form 956 — Appointing Your Migration Agent

Form 956 is the form to use when you engage a registered migration agent (or a legal practitioner or exempt person). It identifies the agent by their MARN (Migration Agent Registration Number), authorises the Department to communicate with them about your application, and records that they are providing you with immigration assistance. By default, appointing an agent on Form 956 also makes them the recipient of correspondence about your application, so a separate authorised recipient form is usually not needed at the same time. The MARN you enter must match the OMARA register exactly — an incorrect MARN can cause the appointment not to be recognised. You can lodge Form 956 at the start of the process, after the application is lodged, or when you change agents.

Form 956A — Appointing an Authorised Recipient

Form 956A nominates an authorised recipient: the person the Department will send written communications to about your application. Choosing an authorised recipient does not give that person any power to act on your application or to give immigration advice — they simply receive documents on your behalf. People commonly use Form 956A to have correspondence sent to a spouse, a family member, or a trusted contact in Australia while they are offshore. You can also use Form 956A to withdraw an existing authorised recipient. Once an authorised recipient is appointed, the Department generally communicates with that person rather than with you directly, so it is important to choose someone reliable who will pass on time-sensitive correspondence.

How to Complete and Submit the Forms

Both forms can be completed online through ImmiAccount or as downloadable PDFs from the Department of Home Affairs website (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au). They generally require: your personal details (name, date of birth, passport details); your application details, including the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) if the application has already been lodged — leave this blank if you are appointing before lodging; the details of the person being appointed (for Form 956, the agent's name and MARN; for Form 956A, the authorised recipient's name and contact details); and your signature consenting to the appointment. If your agent lodges your application through their own ImmiAccount, the appointment may be recorded automatically — it is still worth confirming the correct form is on file.

Changing or Withdrawing an Appointment

To change agents, lodge a new Form 956 appointing the new agent — this supersedes the previous appointment. To stop being represented and communicate with the Department yourself, you can notify the Department that you are withdrawing the agent's appointment; you do not need the agent's permission to do so. To change or remove an authorised recipient, lodge Form 956A with the withdrawal or the new details. If your application is mid-process, also tell your former agent in writing that you have ended the appointment — under the OMARA Code of Conduct, a former agent must promptly return your documents and files. Changing who represents you or receives your mail does not reset or affect the status of your application itself.

Common Situations: Which Form Do You Need?

A few typical cases: You have hired a migration agent — use Form 956. You are doing your own application but want letters sent to your partner or a relative — use Form 956A to appoint them as authorised recipient. You appointed an agent and now want to take over yourself — withdraw the agent's appointment and, if you want a third party to keep receiving mail, lodge Form 956A. You are switching from one agent to another — lodge a new Form 956 for the new agent. Remember that an appointment generally applies to a specific application, so a new application usually needs a fresh form.

Does Form 956A appoint my migration agent?

No. Form 956A appoints an authorised recipient — a person who only receives documents on your behalf and cannot give immigration assistance. To appoint a registered migration agent to represent you, you use Form 956.

What is the difference between Form 956 and Form 956A?

Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person to represent you and provide immigration assistance. Form 956A appoints (or withdraws) an authorised recipient, who only receives written communications and cannot advise you or act on your application.

I am handling my own application but want documents sent to a family member — which form?

Use Form 956A to appoint that person as your authorised recipient. They will receive the Department's correspondence about your application, but they cannot give immigration advice or act on your behalf.

Can my migration agent also receive my correspondence?

Yes. When you appoint an agent on Form 956, the Department generally sends correspondence about your application to the agent as well, so a separate authorised recipient form is usually not required at the same time.

What happens if I enter an incorrect MARN on Form 956?

If the MARN does not match the agent's registration on the OMARA register, the appointment may not be correctly recorded and the Department may not recognise the agent as your representative. Always check the MARN against the OMARA register before lodging.