Immigration Assistance Australia
Who can provide immigration assistance in Australia?
In Australia, only registered migration agents, legal practitioners or exempt persons can render immigration assistance to an applicant. Registered Migration Agents need to be registered with OMARA and will need to have their MARN number. Legal practitioners will be registered with their relevant law bodies.
Who is an exempt person?
An exempt person who is allowed to provide immigration assistance in Australia is one of the following people who are not registered, migration agents or legal practitioners:
- Visa applicant’s nominator or sponsor.
- A close member of the visa applicant.
- A parliamentarian.
- A member of the diplomatic mission.
- A member of a consular post.
- A member of an international organization.
An exempt person cannot charge a professional fee and it is illegal for them to charge any fees.
How can an applicant appoint an exempt person to give immigration assistance?
An exempt person giving immigration assistance to a visa applicant must sign Form 956A – Appointment or withdrawal of an authorized recipient. The form has both the exempt person’s details and the applicant’s details, and both need to sign the form.
A separate 956A form needs to be signed for separate visa applications. For example, an exempt person needs to sign two 956A forms if they are an authorised recipient for a visitor visa for husband and wife.
What happens when a visa applicant appoints an exempt person for immigration assistance?
Once a visa applicant gets a 956A form signed, the Department of Home Affairs becomes aware that there is someone else who is an authorised recipient who is rendering immigration assistance.
Once, an exempt person is appointed as an authorised recipient, the Department of Home Affairs contacts that person to discuss the visa applicant’s application if they deem it necessary. They can also seek further required information about the applicant’s visa application. They get all the information, communication, and documents regarding the visa applicant’s application from the Department of Home Affairs.
Any information, documents, notices, or communication received by the exempt person is deemed to have been received by the applicant themselves.
How to withdraw the appointment of an exempt person?
For the appointment of the exempt person, if a visa applicant wants to withdraw or remove the exempt person as an authorised recipient, they need to complete a 956A – Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient form. Visa applicants can end the exempt person’s appointment by completing and uploading this form to their visa application.
How to change an authorised recipient?
For the appointment of a different exempt person as an authorised recipient, the visa applicant needs to provide a new 956A- Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient form.
For the appointment of a different exempt person as an authorised recipient, the visa applicant needs to provide a new 956A- Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient form.
For more information, you can check out the Department of Home Affairs website.Disclaimer: The above information is not tailored to personal circumstances.
For information relevant to personal circumstances, please book an
appointment with Oracle Immigration Consultant’s expert migration agents in
Australia.
For any inquiries, please contact us at +61 430812158. We are premier Immigration agency and consultancy in Melbourne (Bundoora and Geelong).
