Spouse & Partner Visa from the UAE — Canada Sponsorship & Australia Partner Visa

Partner-Visa Guidance for the UAE, GCC, India & Sri Lanka

Couples living in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat and Manama — and across India and Sri Lanka — often have one partner who is already a Canadian or Australian citizen or permanent resident. The partner visa is how the other person joins them permanently. Our role is to turn a relationship into a decision-ready evidence file.

Consequently the focus is never the form itself but the proof behind it: a relationship an officer can see is genuine, documented from the start rather than reconstructed at the end.

Which relationships qualify? Married, common-law, de facto and conjugal partners

Both Canada and Australia recognise more than just marriage, and both recognise same-sex and opposite-sex couples on exactly the same terms. There is no separate, lesser pathway for same-sex partners — the same categories, the same evidence standard and the same visas apply. What differs is the label your relationship falls under, because that decides which rules govern your file.

Relationship categories at a glance

Categories and criteria are set by the relevant governments and are subject to change. Which category fits your relationship is a fact-specific assessment — this is general guidance, not legal advice and not a government decision.

Same-sex and equal-marriage couples: fully recognised by both Canada and Australia

If you are part of a same-sex couple, both programs are open to you on equal footing. Canada recognises same-sex spouses, common-law partners and conjugal partners under the very same sponsorship rules as opposite-sex couples — a legally valid same-sex marriage, in Canada or in a jurisdiction whose marriage Canada recognises, meets the spouse requirement. Australia recognises same-sex married couples (marriage equality has applied since December 2017) and same-sex de facto partners across the partner visa subclasses (820/801 and 309/100) and the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300).

We understand that, for couples living in the Gulf, evidencing a same-sex relationship can carry real practical and personal sensitivities — and that cohabitation or registration may not have been possible in your country of residence. That situation is precisely what the conjugal-partner route (Canada) and the de facto 12-month exceptions (Australia) exist to address. We handle these cases with discretion and care, and we focus on building the genuine-relationship evidence the destination government actually assesses. Talk to us in confidence — free assessment.

Who can sponsor a spouse or partner to Canada, and what are the eligibility rules?

To sponsor a spouse or partner to Canada you must be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian under the Indian Act, and you must be residing in Canada (citizens living abroad can sometimes sponsor outland if they show they will return). You cannot be receiving social assistance other than for a disability, and you must not be disqualified by certain removal orders or serious criminal convictions.

The person being sponsored must also be at least 18 and in a genuine relationship that is not entered into mainly for immigration purposes. A married spouse qualifies on the marriage; a common-law partner must have lived with the sponsor continuously for at least 12 months; a conjugal partner route exists where marriage or cohabitation has been impossible. Therefore the first thing we settle is which category your relationship actually falls into. Find out where you stand — free assessment.

Canada inland vs outland sponsorship: which route fits a UAE-based couple?

Canada gives you two routes. The outland (Family Class) application is processed outside Canada and suits couples where the sponsored partner is living abroad — for example in the UAE — and can keep travelling during processing. The inland (Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada) route is for couples already living together in Canada, and it lets the sponsored partner apply for an open work permit after the application is acknowledged.

Both routes currently run at roughly 12 months, though times move with case volume and complexity. For a Gulf-based couple the outland route is frequently the natural fit, because it does not require the sponsored partner to be physically in Canada throughout. We choose the route on your facts, not on a default. Message us on WhatsApp.

Australia partner visa: subclass 820/801 (onshore) and 309/100 (offshore)

The Australian partner visa is a two-stage program. If the applicant is in Australia when they apply, they lodge subclass 820 (a temporary partner visa) and are later assessed for subclass 801 (the permanent partner visa). If the applicant is outside Australia — which describes most couples in the UAE — they lodge subclass 309 (a provisional partner visa) offshore and are later assessed for subclass 100 (the permanent partner visa).

Both pathways share one engine: a genuine, continuing married or de-facto relationship, evidenced across finances, household, social recognition and shared commitment. The permanent stage is generally assessed about two years after the initial application, although some long-standing relationships can be considered for the permanent visa sooner. Because the offshore 309 is lodged while you are outside Australia, it is usually the right starting point for a Gulf-based applicant.

What relationship evidence do partner visas actually need?

Both Canada and Australia decide partner cases on whether the relationship is genuine and continuing. The form is straightforward; the evidence is the work. We help couples build a file that an officer can rely on, covering the dimensions both governments look for:

• Financial — joint accounts, shared bills, transfers, beneficiary nominations, evidence of mutual support.
• Household — cohabitation evidence, shared tenancy or ownership, correspondence to a common address.
• Social — recognition of the relationship by family and friends, joint travel, photographs over time, statements from people who know you both.
• Commitment — shared plans, communication history across periods apart, and the chronology that shows the relationship is real, not assembled for the application.

How Our Spouse & Partner Visa Support Works

Cosmos Immigration provides structured planning, relationship-evidence preparation and case management for Canadian spousal sponsorship and the Australian partner visa. We start by confirming eligibility on both sides — sponsor and applicant — then choose the route (inland or outland for Canada; onshore 820 or offshore 309 for Australia) and build the genuine-relationship file methodically.

Where registered immigration advice or representation is legally required, applications are prepared and submitted through regulated professionals — including CICC-registered consultants for Canadian matters and MARA-registered agents for Australian matters in our network — with Cosmos coordinating eligibility, documentation and case management. We do not guarantee outcomes; government decisions remain with the relevant authority.

← View all long-term residency pathways on the hub page. See also Canada immigration and Australia immigration.

Spouse & Partner Visa — quick answers

Cosmos Immigration is a regulated immigration consultancy founded in Dubai in 2014, working through CICC-, MARA- and IAA-registered professionals, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad and Oakville. For programs where we do not hold a licence directly, applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network, while Cosmos coordinates eligibility, documentation and case management. Don't take our word for our credentials: look us up on the regulators' public registers, and run the same check on anyone else you are considering. Verify Our Credentials

Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body. Program criteria are set by the relevant governments and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.

Start with a free assessment, not a sales pitch — or message us on WhatsApp. We'll confirm who can sponsor whom and which route fits, and tell you honestly what your relationship evidence needs before you lodge.