Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
The application in your own ImmiAccount vs The application in the agent’s account
A registered agent lodges from the agent’s own ImmiAccount, which is built for agents and keeps the applications of all their clients in one place; the applicant then creates their own account and imports the application with the TRN and the passport details, so that both can see the correspondence and the applicant keeps access when the engagement ends. An applicant who gives an agent the password to their own account has handed over their identity and cannot see what is lodged in their name, which is the arrangement unregistered operators prefer. Let the agent lodge from the agent’s account, import it into yours, and never share a password.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who lodges
- You, from your account · The agent, from the agent’s account, with Form 956 on file
- Who sees it
- You; the agent sees nothing unless you import or share, which you should not · The agent, and you once you import the application into your own account
- Correspondence
- To you, or to the authorised recipient you name · To the agent as authorised recipient, visible to you after import
- When the engagement ends
- Nothing changes · The agent’s access is withdrawn; your imported copy stays
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About the CPD →Side by side
| The application in your own ImmiAccount | The application in the agent’s account | |
|---|---|---|
| Who lodges | You, from your account | The agent, from the agent’s account, with Form 956 on file |
| Who sees it | You; the agent sees nothing unless you import or share, which you should not | The agent, and you once you import the application into your own account |
| Correspondence | To you, or to the authorised recipient you name | To the agent as authorised recipient, visible to you after import |
| When the engagement ends | Nothing changes | The agent’s access is withdrawn; your imported copy stays |
| Watch out | Lodging yourself and asking an agent to “check” it later is not representation | Never give an agent, registered or not, your account password |
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
A registered agent lodges from the agent’s own ImmiAccount, which is built for agents and keeps the applications of all their clients in one place; the applicant then creates their own account and imports the application with the TRN and the passport details, so that both can see the correspondence and the applicant keeps access when the engagement ends. An applicant who gives an agent the password to their own account has handed over their identity and cannot see what is lodged in their name, which is the arrangement unregistered operators prefer. Let the agent lodge from the agent’s account, import it into yours, and never share a password.
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
The application in your own ImmiAccount or The application in the agent’s account — which is better?
A registered agent lodges from the agent’s own ImmiAccount, which is built for agents and keeps the applications of all their clients in one place; the applicant then creates their own account and imports the application with the TRN and the passport details, so that both can see the correspondence and the applicant keeps access when the engagement ends. An applicant who gives an agent the password to their own account has handed over their identity and cannot see what is lodged in their name, which is the arrangement unregistered operators prefer. Let the agent lodge from the agent’s account, import it into yours, and never share a password.
What is the main difference between the The application in your own ImmiAccount and the The application in the agent’s account?
Who lodges: The application in your own ImmiAccount — You, from your account; The application in the agent’s account — The agent, from the agent’s account, with Form 956 on file. Who sees it: The application in your own ImmiAccount — You; the agent sees nothing unless you import or share, which you should not; The application in the agent’s account — The agent, and you once you import the application into your own account. Correspondence: The application in your own ImmiAccount — To you, or to the authorised recipient you name; The application in the agent’s account — To the agent as authorised recipient, visible to you after import.
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