Form 956a · Visa support
Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient
What the form is for and who lodges it. The form itself is the Department's own PDF; nothing is completed or submitted here.
A source change is waiting for review
The official source has changed since these records were last reviewed. Our copy last changed on 30 September 2026. Confirm the current record at the official source. Official source ↗
Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia.
On the Department’s list
- Last updated by the Department
- Category
- Visa support
Form 956a - Complete this form to notify the Department of Home Affairs that you are appointing an authorised recipient to receive documents that we would otherwise have sent to you, or you want to withdraw the appointment of your authorised recipient.
Purpose
This form notifies the Department of Home Affairs that a person is appointing an authorised recipient to receive correspondence on their behalf, or withdrawing an existing authorised recipient appointment. It is distinct from appointing someone to give immigration assistance.
About this explanation
Dated copy · captured
Our recheck of this copy is overdue, so treat every entry as historical: check the Home Affairs forms directory ↗ before relying on one.
Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia.
YourVisaSite has arranged this copy for searching. No lawyer or registered migration agent has reviewed it, and it does not assess eligibility or choose a form, course or provider for you.
Who lodges it
The visa applicant or other person whose matter is before the Department; an authorised recipient does not give immigration assistance unless they are separately a registered agent, legal practitioner or exempt person.
When it is used
It is used during visa application, cancellation, sponsorship or ministerial-intervention matters when a person wants departmental documents sent to a nominated recipient, or wants to end or change that arrangement; it is not used when a migration agent or legal practitioner acting as recipient completes form 956 instead.
Visas that commonly use this form
- Student visa, subclass 500
- Partner visa (offshore), subclasses 309 and 100
- Employer Nomination Scheme visa, subclass 186
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa, subclass 494
- Skilled Independent visa, subclass 189
- Skilled Nominated visa, subclass 190
- Temporary Graduate visa, subclass 485
- Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482
- Special Category visa, subclass 444
The official visa page lists what an application actually requires.
Official form
Open the Department's own PDF or instructions page.
Open official form 956a ↗Saved copy of the PDF
An unmodified copy of the Department’s file as captured on (listing dated , 301 KB). The Department may have published a newer version since; check the official link above before relying on it.
Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (copyright notice). Nothing is completed or submitted here.