Form 956: Appointing an Agent or Authorised Recipient for a Partner Visa
Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, Australian legal practitioner or exempt person to give immigration assistance on a partner visa, Form 956A appoints an authorised recipient for the Department's letters, and either appointment can be withdrawn at any time.
Documents the Department gives to the person you appoint to receive them are treated as given to you under s 494D(2) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), so any deadline in them runs as if you had received them yourself. Forms 956 (design date 08/22) and 956A (design date 03/21) were checked on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au on 23 September 2026. This page explains two forms; it is not immigration assistance under s 276 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth).
What is the difference between Form 956 and Form 956A for a partner visa?
| Form 956 | Form 956A | |
|---|---|---|
| Full form title | Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person | Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient |
| Who can be appointed | A registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner or an exempt person | Anyone you choose |
| What the appointee can do | Give immigration assistance, discuss your application with the Department and give it information | Receive documents for you |
| Receives the Department's letters | Only if also appointed as authorised recipient on the form | Yes, all written communication |
| Can give immigration assistance | Yes | No, unless also an agent, lawyer or exempt person |
| Who signs | The person appointed and the client | The client (and others aged 16 or over appointing the same person) and the recipient |
| One form per application or sponsorship | A separate form for each matter; the client is ticked as either "visa applicant" or "sponsor or sponsor applicant" | One recipient per application or matter at a time |
| How to withdraw | Part B of Form 956, or in writing | Part B of Form 956A, or in writing |
| Where it is lodged | Attached in ImmiAccount | Named in the online application, or attached in ImmiAccount |
Who needs Form 956 on a partner visa?
Only couples who appoint someone to give them immigration assistance. Section 280 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) allows that person to be a registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner or an exempt person. The forms list exempt people as a close family member (spouse, child, adopted child, parent, brother or sister), the sponsor or nominator, a member of parliament or their staff, an official, or a member of a diplomatic mission, consular post or international organisation. Couples who lodge the partner visa themselves need neither form. Whether to use help at all is weighed on the page about a migration agent for a partner visa.
Do the applicant and the sponsor each need one?
Yes, if each appoints someone. Form 956 says a separate form "must be completed for each matter". It asks whether the client is a "visa applicant" or a "sponsor or sponsor applicant", and you tick only one. The partner visa application and the sponsorship are therefore separate appointments, even when the same adviser acts on both. Dependent applicants listed on a form are treated as appointing the same person.
Who can be an authorised recipient for your partner visa on Form 956A?
Anyone you choose. Common choices are:
- the sponsor
- a relative
- a friend at a stable address.
The rules, from Form 956A and the Home Affairs "Authorised recipients" page:
- You can have only one authorised recipient at a time for an application.
- The Department sends every written communication to them, including requests for more information and the decision letter. You usually get no copy.
- The letters may contain health and character information.
- The Department can discuss your application with them only if they are also giving you immigration assistance under ss 276 and 280, or you have given separate consent.
- A person aged 16 or over who wants a different recipient completes their own Form 956A.
How do you withdraw a Form 956 appointment on a partner visa?
- Ending an adviser's appointment. Use Part B of Form 956, or tell the Department in writing. If they were also your authorised recipient, end that too on Form 956 or Form 956A.
- Ending an authorised recipient. Complete Part B of Form 956A, which you and the recipient sign, or tell the Department in writing.
- Attach the form in ImmiAccount. Then, as the Home Affairs partner visa pages ask, let the Department know through the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.
Section 494D(3) lets you vary or withdraw the notice at any time; the authorised recipient cannot do it for you. Letters already sent to the old recipient before the Department records the change are still treated as given to you.
What happens to partner visa deadlines when someone else receives your letters?
They run as if you received the letter. Under s 494D(2), a document given to your authorised recipient is taken to have been given to you. If the Department asks for more information under s 56 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) and the recipient does not pass it on, the deadline still runs against you. Choose someone who will act quickly, and keep your own contact details up to date, because Home Affairs says it may still contact you directly.
How do you lodge Form 956 or 956A for a partner visa?
- Download the current PDF from immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
- Complete and sign it. For Form 956, the person appointed signs Part C question 23 and the client signs question 24.
- Attach it in ImmiAccount to the application or the sponsorship it belongs to. An authorised recipient can also be named in the online application itself.
- If the application is already lodged, tell the Department through the Partner Processing Enquiry Form that you have attached it.
Other changes, such as a new address or a birth, are reported on Form 1022.
Questions about Forms 956 and 956A for a partner visa
Can you appoint both an agent and an authorised recipient?
Yes. An adviser can also be named as your authorised recipient on Form 956. If you want someone else to receive letters, appoint them on Form 956A. There can still be only one authorised recipient at a time.
Does the appointment carry over to the partner visa second stage?
Form 956 lets the adviser tick "Application process" or a "Specific matter", and the form gives "only one stage of a two stage visa" as an example of a specific matter. Check which was ticked, and lodge a new form if the appointment should cover the permanent stage.
Can a family member help without a Form 956?
With clerical work, yes. Section 276(3) says someone who merely does clerical work, translates, or passes on information without substantial comment is not giving immigration assistance. Advice about the application is immigration assistance, and a close family member or the sponsor who gives it is an exempt person who should be appointed on Form 956.
Is there a fee to lodge the form?
No fee is shown on either form. An exempt person must not charge for immigration assistance.
Getting correspondence right
Every request the Department makes on a partner visa has a deadline, and a letter sent to the wrong person still starts it. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner appointed on Form 956 receives, reads and answers those letters on time. That makes an application they prepare more likely to succeed, though no one can promise a grant.
Forms 956 and 956A and the decision to get help with a partner visa
- The partner visa forms page lists every form in the application, including Forms 956 and 956A.
- The page on Form 1022 is for reporting other changes, such as a new address or a birth.
- The page about a migration agent for a partner visa weighs lodging yourself against paid help.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Form 956 and Form 956A?
Form 956 records that a registered migration agent, Australian legal practitioner or exempt person will give you immigration assistance, and can also make them your authorised recipient. Form 956A only appoints or withdraws an authorised recipient, a person who receives the Department's letters for you but cannot give immigration assistance unless they are also an agent, lawyer or exempt person.
Who needs to fill in Form 956 for a partner visa?
Only partner visa applicants or sponsors who appoint a registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner or an exempt person to help them. The person appointed completes it and the client signs a declaration on it. Couples who lodge on their own need neither Form 956 nor Form 956A.
Who can be an authorised recipient on Form 956A?
Anyone you choose, such as your sponsor, a relative or a friend. They receive all written communication about the application and are treated as having received it for you, but the Department can discuss your application with them only if they are also appointed to give immigration assistance or you have given separate consent.
Is there a fee to lodge Form 956 or 956A?
No fee is shown on either form. An exempt person, such as a sponsor or a close family member, must not charge a fee for immigration assistance; the forms say penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment can apply.
Sources
Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.
- Home Affairs, Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Authorised recipients immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Exempt person immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 276, 280 and 494D www.legislation.gov.au