1415 (Design date 10/19) - Page 3© COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, 2019
Vaccinations
If it is your intention to enrol your children in an Australian
school or childcare centre (crèche or preschool) during your
visit to Australia, you are strongly encouraged to carry
certification of your child’s vaccination status. Certification
may be sought at time of enrolment.
Vaccination is recommended against polio, tetanus, measles,
mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough),
Haemophilus influenza hypo (Hib) and Hepatitis B.
Note: Vaccination against rubella is also recommended for
women of child bearing age.
Passport information
Most visa applicants will be required to hold a valid passport
before they can be granted a visa. It is strongly recommended
that the passport be valid for at least 6 months.
If you change your passport after you have been granted the
visa you must notify the Department. Information on
updating your passport is available on the Department’s
website https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-in-
situation/passport-details
If you do not provide us with the details of any new or
additional passport you use to travel to Australia, you
may experience significant delays at the airport and
may be denied permission to board your plane.
Do NOT send your passport with your visa application. Provide
with your visa application a certified copy of the page from your
passport showing your photo and details. Please keep a copy of
the Visa Grant Notification in a safe place for your reference.
Residential address
You must provide the address of where you intend to live
during the period that your application is being considered.
Failure to give your residential address will result in this
application being invalid. A post office box address will not be
accepted as your residential address.
Change of address
If you change your residential address for more than 14 days
while your application is being processed, you must tell the
Department your new address and how long you will be there.
The Department will send communication about your
application to the latest address for correspondence you have
provided.
Immigration assistance
A person gives immigration assistance to you if he or she uses,
or claims to use, his or her knowledge or experience in
migration procedure to assist you with your visa application,
request for ministerial intervention, cancellation review
application, sponsorship or nomination.
In Australia a person may only lawfully give immigration
assistance if he or she is a registered migration agent or is
exempt from being registered. Only registered migration agents
may receive a fee or reward for providing immigration
assistance.
If an unregistered person in Australia, who is not exempt from
registration, gives you immigration assistance they are
committing a criminal offence and may be prosecuted.
Migration agents in Australia
Migration agents in Australia must be registered with the
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (Office of
the MARA) unless they are exempt from registration.
Migration agents outside Australia
Migration agents who operate outside Australia do not have to be
registered. The Department may give some overseas agents an
ID number. This number does not mean that they are registered
.
Note: Some Australian registered migration agents operate
overseas.
Migration agent information
A migration agent is someone who can:
• advise you on the visa that may best suit you;
• tell you the documents you need to submit with your
application;
• help you fill in the application and submit it; and
• communicate with the Department on your behalf.
If you appoint a migration agent, the Department will assume
that your migration agent will be your authorised recipient,
unless you indicate otherwise.
Your migration agent will be the person with whom the
Department will discuss your application and from whom it
will seek further information when required.
You are not required to use a migration agent. However, if you
use a migration agent, the Department encourages you to use
a registered migration agent. Registered agents are bound by
the Migration Agents Code of Conduct, which requires them
to act professionally in their clients’ lawful best interests.
Information on migration agents, including a list of registered
migration agents, is available on the Office of the MARA
website www.mara.gov.au
You can also access information about migration agents on the
Department’s website www.homeaffairs.gov.au
Exempt persons
The following people do not have to be a registered migration
agent in order to provide immigration assistance, but they
must not charge a fee for their service:
• a close family member (spouse, de facto partner, child,
parent, brother or sister);
• a member of parliament or their staff;
• an official whose duties include providing immigration
assistance (eg. a Legal Aid provider);
• a member of a diplomatic mission, consular post or
international organisation.
Appointing a migration agent/exempt person
To appoint a migration agent/exempt person you should
complete Part I – Options for receiving written
communications.
Your migration agent/exempt person should complete
form 956 Advice by a registered migration agent/exempt
person of providing immigration assistance.
Form 956 is available from the Department’s website
www.homeaffairs.gov.au/allforms/