Who can legally help with a Subclass 202 application in 2026? Forms 956 and 956A

On a Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202) application, the Australian Department of Home Affairs separates "getting help" into two different jobs, and each job has its own form. Nominating someone to receive your correspondence uses Form 956A (Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient); nominating someone to provide immigration assistance uses Form 956, whose official title limits it to a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person. This is set out on the Department of Home Affairs Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202) official page, as at October 2026. That page also places its warning at the point of payment: before you pay someone, read the Department's "Who can help with your visa application" guidance.

What counts as "help" on a Subclass 202 application?

The step-by-step section of the official page treats helping as two separate appointments rather than one general authorisation. Which form applies depends on what the person will actually do, not on what they call themselves.

What the person does	Form used	Who the form names	Official form title
Receives your correspondence	Form 956A	The person you nominate as authorised recipient	Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient
Provides immigration assistance	Form 956	A registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person	Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person

Both appointments are made at the "Tell us you are getting help" step, before the application is lodged, and both can be reversed later with the same forms.

Who can be appointed on Form 956?

The Department's own form title answers this in three words: a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. That title is the practical boundary — if the person giving you immigration assistance does not fall into one of those three groups, Form 956 is not the right instrument for them.

The Subclass 202 page does not itself spell out how each category is defined; it points readers to the Department's "Who can help you with your application" guidance for that. Treat that guidance as the reference point rather than anyone's own description of their status.

Is Form 956A a lower requirement?

Yes, in the sense that the two forms are doing different work. Form 956A covers receiving correspondence only, and the Department's description of it carries no registered-agent, legal-practitioner or exempt-person wording. Form 956 carries that wording because the person is providing immigration assistance, which is the activity the appointment controls.

So the question to ask is not "is this person allowed to help?" but "what kind of help is this?" A person who only receives letters and emails is doing something different from a person who advises on the case, prepares submissions, or deals with the Department on the substance of the application.

What should you check before you pay anyone?

Write down the exact things the person will do for you.
Decide whether that is receiving correspondence or providing immigration assistance.
If it is immigration assistance, ask which of the three Form 956 categories they say they fall in.
Ask which form they intend to lodge, 956 or 956A.
Read the Department's "Who can help with your visa application" page before any money changes hands.
Keep your own dated copy of the signed form.

The money point matters on this visa in particular. The official page states there is no visa application charge for Subclass 202 unless you are proposed under the Community Support Program by an Approved Proposing Organisation. Any fee a helper quotes you is therefore separate from a government charge. The only payment the Department itself initiates is a second instalment, and the page is explicit that it sends an invoice after all other requirements are met and that applicants should not ask for it.

Can you take the authority back?

Yes, and the Department describes this in the "After you apply" stage. To stop someone from receiving your correspondence, complete Form 956A. To stop someone from providing immigration advice, complete Form 956. The same forms that appoint a person also withdraw that person, so no separate cancellation document is described.

What appointing someone does not change

Assume an applicant appoints a relative on Form 956A. The Department still tells the applicant, and the proposer where authorised, when the application and documents are received; it may still contact the proposer directly to clarify details in the proposal and to assess the kind of help the proposer can give. The appointment routes correspondence, it does not move decision-making to the appointed person.

It also does not affect how the case is prioritised. The official page states that processing is lengthy, that the Department does not give processing updates, that applications are processed in order of priority group, and that most applications will be unsuccessful. It further states that, because all humanitarian applicants are in similarly compelling circumstances, the Department is unable to expedite applications outside those priorities.

The descriptions above are general information about the published process, not advice on any individual case, and they do not replace the official pages or the view of a properly qualified professional about your own circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a friend or relative help me complete the Subclass 202 application?

It depends on what they do. Receiving your correspondence is arranged with Form 956A, while providing immigration assistance is arranged with Form 956, which is limited to a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person.

Which form appoints a registered migration agent?

Form 956, Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person. The Subclass 202 step-by-step page names this form for nominating someone to provide immigration assistance.

Does an authorised recipient on Form 956A have to be registered?

The Department's description of Form 956A does not contain the registration wording that Form 956 carries. Form 956A appoints or withdraws an authorised recipient for the purpose of receiving correspondence.

How do I remove someone who is acting for me?

Use the same form that appointed them. Form 956A withdraws an authorised recipient, and Form 956 withdraws a person providing immigration advice.

Will appointing an agent make my Subclass 202 application faster?

No. The official page states that processing is lengthy, that the Department does not provide processing updates, that cases are handled in priority-group order, and that applications cannot be expedited outside those priorities.

Is there a government charge for the Subclass 202 application itself?

The official page states there is no visa application charge for this visa unless you are proposed under the Community Support Program by an Approved Proposing Organisation. Fees charged by a helper are not government charges.