Who Can Help With a 190 Visa in 2026: Agents, Lawyers and Exempt Persons

Only three kinds of people may give you immigration assistance on a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190): a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. Everyone else — a friend, a relative, an unregistered "consultant", a recruitment or education firm — falls outside that list, and no amount of paperwork makes them an authorised adviser. This is the position set out on the Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) page and its Who can help you with your application guidance, as of the July 2026 version of those official pages. This article describes how those rules are framed in general terms; it is not personalised advice about your circumstances, and the Department's own pages, or a professional entitled to advise you, remain the authority for your case.

Who is actually allowed to give immigration assistance on a 190?

The Department's wording is short and closed: "Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be" a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. There is no fourth category. The list is about the function being performed, not the job title someone prints on a business card.

That distinction matters most at the point of payment. On the subclass 190 summary page, the Department places its help guidance directly under the heading "before you pay someone" — the rule is framed as a consumer protection, not an administrative formality. If a person or business is charging you to prepare, advise on, or represent your 190 matter, they need to sit inside one of those three categories.

At the Expression of Interest stage the wording narrows slightly: the Department says that if you need help with your EOI, "you can use a registered migration agent or legal practitioner." The fuller three-way list appears at the application stage.

What do the three categories mean in practice?

A registered migration agent is a person whose registration status is what entitles them to charge for immigration assistance — registration is the qualification, not a marketing credential. A legal practitioner is a lawyer admitted to practice; the Department sets out who qualifies on its own Using a legal practitioner page, which is separate from the evidence a 190 applicant who nominates barrister or solicitor as their skilled occupation must provide about admission at the time of invitation. An exempt person is a residual category the Department defines on its own page; it exists for people who are permitted to give immigration assistance without being registered agents or lawyers, and the boundaries are set by the Department rather than by the individual.

What the three share is that they are the only people the Department will treat as lawfully providing immigration assistance for a fee. The safest question to hold on to is not "is this person experienced?" but "on what basis are they entitled to be paid for this?"

What can an authorised recipient do for you?

Receiving your mail is not the same as helping with your application, and the Department separates the two cleanly. "You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter." That person is an authorised recipient, and they can be a friend, a family member, or anyone else you choose.

The practical limit is scope. An authorised recipient is a channel for correspondence; they are not an adviser, and appointing one does not entitle them to prepare your claims, advise you on the points test, or act on your behalf in the substance of the matter.

Who	May give immigration assistance	May be the paid adviser	May receive your correspondence	Form used
Registered migration agent	Yes	Yes	Yes	Form 956 (assistance); Form 956A (recipient)
Legal practitioner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Form 956 (assistance); Form 956A (recipient)
Exempt person	Yes	Yes	Yes	Form 956 (assistance); Form 956A (recipient)
Anyone else (friend, relative, unregistered consultant)	No	No	Yes	Form 956A only

How do you appoint someone — and how do you take the appointment back?

The Department uses two different forms, and picking the wrong one signals the wrong relationship. To nominate someone to receive your correspondence, use Form 956A (Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient). To appoint someone to provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 (Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person). Both are uploaded, along with any written notification, to ImmiAccount.

The same two forms run in reverse. If you later decide you no longer want someone to receive your correspondence, you complete Form 956A; if you no longer want them providing immigration advice, you complete Form 956. Withdrawing an appointment is done by telling the Department: complete the relevant form and upload it to ImmiAccount.

What help doesn't change: deadlines and your own responsibility

Appointing an agent moves information around; it does not move your obligations. You remain the person who must provide accurate information, and the Department warns that it may make a decision on your application without requesting more documents, even if something is missing.

The timing rules also stay fixed regardless of who is helping you. Once you are invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply and the Department states it cannot extend this time. EOIs are free to submit and need an estimated score of at least 65 points to be invited. Getting an invitation does not mean the visa will be granted, and the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused. A paid adviser can reduce the chance of a self-inflicted error, but they cannot buy an extension, a nomination, or an outcome.

How do you check someone before you pay?

The cheapest check happens before any money changes hands. Ask, in writing, which of the three categories the person claims to fall under, and ask for the registration or admission details that support the claim. A person who is entitled to charge for immigration assistance can usually state the basis immediately and precisely; vagueness about status is itself the answer.

Be wary of three recurring patterns: someone who offers to "lodge on your behalf" without mentioning Form 956; someone who describes themselves only as a consultant, adviser or case manager with no registration or admission behind it; and anyone whose fee is framed as buying a faster or more certain result. None of these can be delivered by someone outside the three categories, and the second and third are warning signs even from someone inside them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a friend or relative help me with my 190 application for free?

The Department's published rule is about who may be appointed to give immigration assistance, and it names only registered migration agents, legal practitioners and exempt persons. A friend or relative can be appointed as an authorised recipient on Form 956A to receive your correspondence, but that role does not extend to preparing or advising on your application.

Can an education agent or recruiter lodge my subclass 190 for me?

Not on the basis of being an education agent or recruiter. Those are separate commercial roles; entitlement to give immigration assistance for a 190 comes only from registration as a migration agent, admission as a legal practitioner, or exempt person status.

What is the difference between an authorised recipient and a migration agent?

An authorised recipient is appointed on Form 956A and can receive documents and correspondence about your visa matter; anyone can hold this role. A migration agent is appointed on Form 956 and is one of only three categories permitted to give immigration assistance. Appointing one does not give the other's powers.

Do I have to appoint anyone at all?

No. Appointing an agent, lawyer or exempt person is optional, and so is appointing an authorised recipient. The Department's 190 page only requires that if you do appoint someone to give immigration assistance, that person must fall into one of the three permitted categories.

I already paid someone who wasn't registered. What now?

Nothing in the Department's published guidance turns unregistered help into valid immigration assistance, and your obligations as the applicant remain yours. You can end the appointment using Form 956 and address any documents already lodged through your ImmiAccount; for anything involving money already paid, get independent advice from someone who is entitled to give it.

Can I change or remove the person helping me later?

Yes. Complete Form 956A to withdraw an authorised recipient and Form 956 to withdraw someone providing immigration advice, then upload the form to ImmiAccount so the Department records that the person no longer acts for you.

References

• Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)

The following Department pages and forms are linked from that page and were used for the points above:

• Department of Home Affairs — Who can help you with your application (overview)
• Department of Home Affairs — Using a migration agent
• Department of Home Affairs — Using a legal practitioner
• Department of Home Affairs — Exempt person
• Department of Home Affairs — Authorised recipients
• Department of Home Affairs — Form 956: Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person
• Department of Home Affairs — Form 956A: Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient