Gold Migration Lawyers has gone into liquidation. For affected clients, the most urgent step is appointing a new representative. Here is how Form 956 actually works.
When Gold Migration Lawyers emailed clients late on Friday 29 May 2026 to say it could “no longer act” and that they “must engage another legal representative or registered migration agent urgently,” it set off a scramble across hundreds of pending visa files. Gold Migration Pty Ltd (ACN 637 970 524) is now in liquidation: by a members’ resolution on 1 June 2026, Ian Graham Grant of LangdonGrant was appointed liquidator. The firm’s website is down and its phone disconnected, and hundreds of clients with pending matters were affected, many with no prior warning.
The firm said it would notify the Department that it was withdrawing, but warned that correspondence might not be forwarded in time and that “any deadlines on your matter remain your responsibility.” For former Gold Migration Lawyers clients, the single most urgent administrative task is now also the most misunderstood: formally telling the Department who is authorised to act. The instrument that does this is Form 956, and getting one part of it right is what stops you missing notices.
What is Form 956?
Form 956 is the official form that appoints a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner to provide immigration assistance and to communicate with the Department on your behalf. Once it is lodged, the Department directs all official correspondence about your matter to your new representative. Until it is lodged, the Department keeps using the previously nominated details, which, after a closure, means an inbox no one is reading.
Form 956, part by part
- Parts A and C appoint your new representative and authorise them to act and to receive correspondence.
- Part B formally withdraws a previous appointment. This is the part people miss. Without Part B completed, the Department’s records can still list Gold Migration Lawyers as your authorised recipient, so notices keep going to the wrong place even after you have engaged someone new.
So when you switch from a closed firm to a new lawyer, your new lawyer completes Part B to remove the old firm and Parts A and C to register themselves. Both halves matter.
How is Form 956 different from Form 956A?
They are often confused. Form 956 appoints a professional, a registered agent or legal practitioner, to act and advise on your file. Form 956A only authorises a non-professional (such as a family member or friend) to receive Department correspondence on your behalf; it does not allow them to provide immigration assistance or take action on your matter. When you are changing to a new lawyer, Form 956 is the relevant instrument.
What documents should you gather first?
Your new lawyer can move faster if you assemble what you have. The most important item is your ImmiAccount login; if your application was lodged online, your ImmiAccount holds the live status, any outstanding requests, and your application reference. If you do not have the login, you can often import the application into a new ImmiAccount using your Transaction Reference Number (TRN) or passport details. Also gather any letters you received directly from the Department (acknowledgements, requests, decisions) and any costs agreement you signed.
The transfer process, step by step
- Engage your new trusted immigration lawyers in Melbourne first. You do not need to recover your file yourself before doing so.
- Your new lawyer lodges Form 956 (Part B to remove the closed firm, Parts A and C to register themselves).
- They request your file and liaise with the external administrator to recover your documents and records.
- They update your contact details, diarise every deadline, and confirm your bridging visa position.
Hand this to Katsaros & Associates and your correspondence reaches a lawyer who is actually reading it, usually the same day, with deadline triage starting immediately.
How we regain control of your file
Gold Migration told clients it would notify the Department that it was withdrawing, but warned that correspondence might not be forwarded in time. That gap is where matters go wrong, so we close it fast. When we take over, we move immediately to regain access to your file: we recover your ImmiAccount and your Department records, confirm exactly what was lodged and what is still outstanding, and lodge your Form 956 so all correspondence comes to us. You are not left to work the Department’s systems alone, that is precisely what we handle, the same day where the matter is urgent.
Were you a Gold Migration Lawyers client? help for affected Gold Migration Lawyers clients from Katsaros & Associates. Book a free 10-minute emergency consultation, we map your deadlines and take over your file the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the liquidator of Gold Migration Lawyers?
Gold Migration Pty Ltd (ACN 637 970 524, formerly trading as Gold Migration Lawyers) is in liquidation. Ian Graham Grant of LangdonGrant was appointed liquidator on 1 June 2026, with the administration handled at C/- LangdonGrant, PO Box 4402, Dandenong South VIC 3164. Your new lawyer can liaise with the liquidator’s office to recover your file and to lodge any claim for fees you paid.
Do I lodge Form 956 myself?
Your new lawyer prepares and lodges it. Your job is to engage them and provide what you have, especially your ImmiAccount details.
What happens if Part B is not completed?
The Department’s records may still show the closed firm, so your notices keep going to a dead inbox. Part B is what redirects them.
Can a family member just receive my mail in the meantime?
That is Form 956A, and it only allows them to receive correspondence, not to act. To progress your matter you need a Form 956 representative.
Katsaros & Associates lodges the Form 956, recovers your file, and gives you a fixed-fee plan before any further work begins.
Source: FG Newswire