Do I need a lawyer or a migration agent?

Many visa applications are lodged directly. A registered migration agent or immigration lawyer helps with complex or refused matters.

What is a Section 48 bar?

It limits the visas you can apply for while unlawfully in Australia after a refusal or cancellation. A professional can map your options.

Can I appeal a refused visa?

Often yes — the Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews many decisions, but strict time limits apply.

Appointing or removing a representative on a 114 application in 2026: Forms 956 and 956A

How to appoint, replace or withdraw a migration agent or authorised recipient on a Subclass 114 application using Forms 956 and 956A.

On an Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114) application, two separate forms do two separate jobs. Form 956 appoints someone to give you immigration assistance, while Form 956A appoints or withdraws an authorised recipient who receives your correspondence. On its Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114) page, the Australian Department of Home Affairs asks you to use Form 956 for immigration assistance and Form 956A for correspondence, and to send the forms with your paper application.

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

The two forms sit side by side in the department's step-by-step guide for this visa, but they authorise different things.

	Form 956	Form 956A
Full title	Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person	Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient
What it authorises	Giving you immigration assistance on the visa matter	Receiving documents and correspondence on your behalf
Who can be appointed	A registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person	Anyone you choose
Used to withdraw	Yes — to stop someone providing immigration advice	Yes — to withdraw an authorised recipient

Because the forms cover different roles, appointing one person under Form 956 does not automatically make them your authorised recipient, and naming an authorised recipient under Form 956A does not authorise that person to give immigration assistance.

Who can give immigration assistance, and who can simply receive your mail?

Only some people can give immigration assistance on a 114 application. If you appoint someone for that purpose, they must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. That limit applies to the assistance role, not to the correspondence role.

For correspondence, the rules are looser: you can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter. A relative or friend who is helping you keep track of letters can be an authorised recipient even though they cannot give immigration assistance.

How do you appoint someone when you lodge the 114 application?

A Subclass 114 application is a paper application, and you must be outside Australia when you apply. You complete Form 47OF (Application for migration to Australia by other family members) and your sponsor completes Form 40 (Sponsorship for migration to Australia).

The appointment forms travel with that paper application. The department's instruction is to send written notification or your forms with your paper application, sent by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address on the form. You cannot submit a 114 application in person, and you cannot pay for it in person either — the first instalment is paid before submission using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, with evidence of payment included with the application.

Because you are sending documents by post, the department asks for certified copies rather than originals, and recommends keeping a copy of your completed application and supporting documents for your own records.

How do you remove or replace a representative after you apply?

The same two forms are used again after lodgement. To tell the department you no longer want someone to receive your correspondence, you complete Form 956A; to tell them you no longer want someone to provide immigration advice, you complete Form 956.

How you send the completed form depends on whether your application is in ImmiAccount:

If you have imported your paper application into ImmiAccount, you can upload the completed form there. Importing is possible after you receive your acknowledgement letter, using your application ID, date of birth, and identity document number; applications made outside Australia on or after 25 June 2020 can be imported.
If you cannot use ImmiAccount, or you lodged outside Australia before 25 June 2020, you attach the completed form to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.

Replacing one representative with another works the same way as removing one: a new appointment is made on the same form, and the old appointment is withdrawn on that form rather than by phone or informal email.

Does appointing a representative shift responsibility for the answers?

No. The obligation to provide accurate information stays with you and your application. The department's guidance on the visa warns that if you cannot prove your identity, it will refuse the application, it might not grant you another visa for 10 years, and it might not grant a visa to family members listed on your application for 10 years.

If a mistake is found after lodgement, the correction route is Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers), which can be uploaded in ImmiAccount if the application has been imported, or attached to the Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form if it has not. Appointing a representative changes who the department can deal with, not who the answers belong to.

This article is general information about published visa procedures, not personalised advice about your circumstances, and it is not legal advice; the effect of an appointment on your own case can depend on details that only the current official page and a qualified professional can address.

What happens to correspondence once an authorised recipient is appointed?

Once an authorised recipient is appointed under Form 956A, that person receives documents relating to your visa matter on your behalf. This is a practical arrangement for people who move house, live overseas, or want a family member to handle letters — and it does not require the recipient to hold any migration qualification.

Suppose an applicant lives in a household where mail is unreliable and asks a daughter in Australia to receive all departmental letters. Form 956A covers exactly that. If the same daughter is also preparing and explaining the visa application, that second role would require her to be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person, and would be covered by Form 956 instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a migration agent to apply for a Subclass 114 visa?

Assistance is optional, not mandatory. If you do appoint someone to give you immigration assistance, that person must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person, appointed using Form 956.

Can I appoint a family member to receive my letters without them being registered?

Yes. Anyone can be appointed to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter, and that appointment is made on Form 956A. The registration requirement applies only to people giving immigration assistance.

Can one person both give immigration assistance and receive my correspondence?

Yes, but only if they qualify for the assistance role and you complete both forms. Form 956 covers immigration assistance; Form 956A covers receiving correspondence. One form does not substitute for the other.

How do I withdraw an authorised recipient?

Complete Form 956A again, which is the form used for both appointment and withdrawal of an authorised recipient. If your application is in ImmiAccount you can upload it; otherwise attach it to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.

Can I lodge the 114 application online?

No. The Subclass 114 application must be made on paper using Form 47OF, with your sponsor's Form 40, and sent by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth.

Does appointing a representative guarantee a faster or better outcome?

No. The department states it cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times and will contact you only if something further is needed. An appointment changes who may act or receive correspondence for you, not the outcome of the decision.