Form 956: Appointing a Registered Migration Agent, Legal Practitioner or Exempt Person

What Form 956 actually does

Form 956 puts an authorised representative on the record for a visa or citizenship application. Once it is lodged, the Department will generally deal with that representative on matters relating to the application — sending correspondence to them, accepting submissions and additional documents from them, and treating communications from them as coming from you.

The form covers three categories of representative: a registered migration agent (someone with a Migration Agent Registration Number, or MARN, issued under the OMARA scheme), an Australian legal practitioner, and an "exempt person" — a narrow category defined in the Migration Act that covers people who can lawfully give immigration assistance without being a registered agent, such as a member of federal parliament assisting a constituent. For almost everyone reading this, the relevant category is a registered migration agent.

Form 956 can be lodged at different points: right at the start when you first engage an agent, partway through if you decide to bring an agent in after lodging the application yourself, or later again if you change agents. Each time you appoint someone new, a fresh Form 956 (or its ImmiAccount equivalent) is needed to put them on the record.

Who completes which part

The form has sections for both the representative and the applicant. The agent or practitioner fills in their own details — name, MARN or practising certificate number, contact details — and signs a declaration confirming their registration status. You, as the applicant, provide your details and sign to confirm you are appointing them.

If your application is lodged through ImmiAccount, appointing a registered migration agent is often handled electronically rather than through a scanned paper form — the current help text on Home Affairs' site notes that access to complete this online may be available from the Update details section of ImmiAccount. Check the current process on the Home Affairs website or with ImmiAccount directly, since the exact online steps can change and paper Form 956 remains available as a fallback for anyone who needs it.

Either way, you should read the form before you sign it. It is not a complex document, but it is the legal basis for someone else acting in your name with the Department.

What an appointed agent can and cannot do

An agent appointed under Form 956 can lodge documents on your behalf, respond to requests for further information, make submissions about your case, and receive correspondence from the Department about the application. This is the key difference from Form 956A, which only appoints someone to receive letters — it does not authorise them to give immigration assistance or act on the application at all.

Appointing an agent under Form 956 does not remove your own responsibility for the accuracy of the information in your application, and it does not guarantee an outcome. The agent's job is to prepare and present your case properly, communicate with the Department on your behalf, and advise you on your options — the decision on the visa itself still sits with the Department.

Checking the agent is genuinely MARA-registered before you sign

Because Form 956 hands someone real authority over your case, it is worth confirming their registration before you sign anything. Every legitimate migration agent in Australia has a MARN, and the official register of migration agents lets you search by name or MARN to confirm the registration is current, see how long they have been registered, and check whether any disciplinary action is recorded against them.

This takes a couple of minutes and is worth doing even if the agent came recommended by someone you trust — registration status can change, and it costs nothing to check. If someone offering migration assistance cannot be found on the register and does not fall into the narrow exempt-person category, they are not legally allowed to charge for that assistance.

Changing agents, ending an appointment, and common mistakes

To change agents, you generally lodge a new Form 956 for the incoming representative — this puts them on the record and, depending on how it is completed, can supersede the previous appointment. If you simply want to end an appointment without appointing someone new, contact the Department directly or through ImmiAccount to have the representative removed from your file; check the current process, since the exact steps depend on how the original application was lodged.

The most common mistakes with Form 956 are lodging it with missing signatures, confusing it with Form 956A when what you actually need is full representation rather than just a mailing contact, and assuming an agent is registered without checking. None of these are hard to avoid — the form is short, and the register check takes minutes.

Before you sign a 956 and commit to a fee arrangement, it is worth comparing your options. Migratio lets you compare MARA-registered migration agents and see their consultation fees upfront, so you can choose who to appoint with a clearer picture of cost and fit before any form goes to the Department.

Is Form 956 free?

Yes. Form 956 is free to download and free to lodge with the Department of Home Affairs. Any fee involved is for the migration agent's professional service, not the form itself.

Do I need to lodge Form 956 if I'm using ImmiAccount?

Often the appointment can be completed electronically within ImmiAccount rather than as a separate scanned form, but this depends on the application type and current process. Check the Update details section of your ImmiAccount, or ask your agent, and use the paper form if the electronic option isn't available to you.

What's the difference between Form 956 and Form 956A?

Form 956 appoints someone to actually act on your application — lodge documents, make submissions, and give immigration assistance. Form 956A only nominates someone to receive written correspondence about your case; it does not authorise them to act or advise you.

Can I appoint more than one agent at a time?

The Department generally deals with one primary authorised representative on a given application at a time. If you're changing agents, the new Form 956 typically takes over from the previous one — check with the Department or ImmiAccount if your situation involves more than one representative.

How do I check if a migration agent is really MARA-registered?

Search the official register of migration agents by name or MARN. It will show whether their registration is current, since when, and whether any disciplinary history is recorded. Do this before you sign a Form 956, not after.