The application forms (Form 40) were originally transferred to Australian Archives as an Unserialised Accession, AA1960/340 for review of series identification. The forms were extracted (torn out, as shown by tears in top left hand corner), from a number of previous series files which were than destroyed by the Department of Immigration, Central Office.
 
The Form 40s were intially were grouped together, some in bundles in no order whatsoever others in date order. From these bundles an artificial series with a content range from 1920-1957 was
chronologically arranged by Australian Archives, the dates taken from the signing of the Forms, compiled into annual groupings, and each group arranged in alphabetical order. A majority of the Forms bear serial numbers from different file series (a mixture of annual single number and multiple number series). Some nominators have entered several application forms within the same year each form relating to a different nominee. In such cases all forms from that nominator are contained within the same folder. 

It is possible that some of these forms have been removed from files belonging to CRS A446, Correspondence files, annual single number series, 1953- . The series description sheet states that: "Non European category personal files may contain 'Application for Admission of a Relative or Friend to Australia'". The problem however is that the form described above covers both Europeans and Non-Europeans (mainly the former).
 
The form 40's give a physical description, birthplace and country of origin, both of the nominator, and the person(s) nominated.
 
In April 1989 it was found that CP235/2 had not been physically converted. This was done.
 
The system of arrangement by nominator rather than by nominee was to reflect the original Departmental processing procedure.