Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Form 956: appointing a migration agent vs Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient
Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person to give immigration assistance and to act for the applicant with the Department, and it tells the Department who is advising; Form 956A appoints an authorised recipient, a person who receives the Department’s correspondence on the applicant’s behalf without being an agent, which is useful for a relative, an employer contact or a friend with a reliable address. An agent appointed on Form 956 is usually also the authorised recipient; an authorised recipient on Form 956A is not an agent and may not give advice. The person named on whichever form receives the notices, and the review periods run from when that person is taken to have received them.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who it appoints
- A registered migration agent, an Australian lawyer or an exempt person · Anyone, as the receiver of correspondence
- What they can do
- Give immigration assistance, prepare and lodge, deal with the Department on your behalf · Receive the Department’s letters; nothing more
- Correspondence
- Goes to the agent by default, unless you say otherwise · Goes to the authorised recipient
- Changing
- A new Form 956 replaces the agent; withdrawing is notified to the Department · A new Form 956A or a withdrawal
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Form 956: appointing a migration agent | Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it appoints | A registered migration agent, an Australian lawyer or an exempt person | Anyone, as the receiver of correspondence |
| What they can do | Give immigration assistance, prepare and lodge, deal with the Department on your behalf | Receive the Department’s letters; nothing more |
| Correspondence | Goes to the agent by default, unless you say otherwise | Goes to the authorised recipient |
| Changing | A new Form 956 replaces the agent; withdrawing is notified to the Department | A new Form 956A or a withdrawal |
| Watch out | An unregistered person cannot be appointed under 956 and lodging through one is an offence for them | Review periods run from the recipient’s receipt; choose someone who checks their inbox |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person to give immigration assistance and to act for the applicant with the Department, and it tells the Department who is advising; Form 956A appoints an authorised recipient, a person who receives the Department’s correspondence on the applicant’s behalf without being an agent, which is useful for a relative, an employer contact or a friend with a reliable address. An agent appointed on Form 956 is usually also the authorised recipient; an authorised recipient on Form 956A is not an agent and may not give advice. The person named on whichever form receives the notices, and the review periods run from when that person is taken to have received them.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Form 956: appointing a migration agent or Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient — which is better?
Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person to give immigration assistance and to act for the applicant with the Department, and it tells the Department who is advising; Form 956A appoints an authorised recipient, a person who receives the Department’s correspondence on the applicant’s behalf without being an agent, which is useful for a relative, an employer contact or a friend with a reliable address. An agent appointed on Form 956 is usually also the authorised recipient; an authorised recipient on Form 956A is not an agent and may not give advice. The person named on whichever form receives the notices, and the review periods run from when that person is taken to have received them.
What is the main difference between the Form 956: appointing a migration agent and the Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient?
Who it appoints: Form 956: appointing a migration agent — A registered migration agent, an Australian lawyer or an exempt person; Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient — Anyone, as the receiver of correspondence. What they can do: Form 956: appointing a migration agent — Give immigration assistance, prepare and lodge, deal with the Department on your behalf; Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient — Receive the Department’s letters; nothing more. Correspondence: Form 956: appointing a migration agent — Goes to the agent by default, unless you say otherwise; Form 956A: appointing an authorised recipient — Goes to the authorised recipient.
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