Sponsoring a Partner From Pakistan

A sponsor partner from Pakistan application starts with the Australian partner, not the visa applicant. To sponsor partner from Pakistan, the Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen must be approved as a sponsor, must meet the sponsorship limitations in the Migration Regulations 1994, and must help prove that the marriage or de facto relationship is genuine and continuing.

This guide is written for the sponsor. It explains who can sponsor partner from Pakistan, which visa fits the couple, how a nikah performed in Pakistan is treated under Australian law, which documents usually come from Pakistan, how arranged and cousin marriages are assessed, what evidence long-distance couples need, and what happens if the Department of Home Affairs refuses the visa.

For the full framework, the firm's complete guide to partner visas in Australia explains every subclass and stage. The applicant-side guide to the Australian partner visa for Pakistani citizens covers the same visa from the partner's point of view. This article looks at it from the sponsor's side.

Can an Australian sponsor partner from Pakistan?

Yes. An Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen can sponsor partner from Pakistan for a partner visa, provided the sponsor is approved by the Department and is not prevented by a sponsorship limitation.

The sponsor's nationality of origin does not matter to whether a person can sponsor partner from Pakistan. Many people who sponsor partner from Pakistan were born in Pakistan themselves and later became Australian citizens or permanent residents. Others were born in Australia and met their partner through family, community or online. The legal test is the same in every case. The firm's guide to partner visa sponsor eligibility and the short answer on who can sponsor a partner visa set out the basic rules.

The sponsor makes a sponsorship application, usually through the online system or using Form 40SP. By sponsoring, the sponsor gives an undertaking to support the applicant, including with accommodation and financial assistance as needed, during the first years of the applicant's stay. The guides to partner visa sponsor obligations and the sponsor undertaking explain what that commitment means in practice.

Sponsor partner from Pakistan: the sponsorship limitations

Three groups of rules can stop a sponsorship from being approved:

• Regulation 1.20J (previous sponsorships). In summary, a person may have at most two approved partner or fiancé sponsorships. A sponsor who has already sponsored a partner cannot have another partner sponsorship approved until at least 5 years after the earlier visa application was made. A sponsor who was themselves sponsored as a partner cannot sponsor a new partner until at least 5 years after their own visa application was made. These limits can be waived where there are compelling circumstances affecting the sponsor.
• Regulation 1.20KA (Contributory Parent visa holders). A person granted a permanent Contributory Parent category visa on or after 1 July 2009 may be prevented from sponsoring a partner who was their partner on or before that grant, for five years from the grant.
• Regulations 1.20KB, 1.20KC and 1.20KD (the sponsor's criminal history). Regulation 1.20KB deals with sponsors with certain child-related offences where a child is included in the application. Under regulations 1.20KC and 1.20KD, a sponsor convicted of a relevant offence, such as an offence of violence, who also has a significant criminal record must have the sponsorship refused unless approval is reasonable.

The third limb in regulation 1.20J matters for many people who sponsor partner from Pakistan. A sponsor who first came to Australia on a partner visa, sponsored by a previous husband or wife, cannot sponsor a new partner until 5 years after that earlier visa application unless compelling circumstances exist. Under Department policy, compelling circumstances can include a dependent child of the new relationship, the death of the previous partner, or a longstanding new relationship. The firm's page on partner visa sponsorship limitations and the guide to when a sponsor cannot sponsor a partner visa explain each rule, and the short answer on hiring a lawyer when the sponsor was sponsored before covers this situation directly.

A sponsor who lives in Pakistan for long periods should also read the guide on a partner visa sponsor living overseas. A sponsor who is an Australian citizen living abroad can still sponsor, but must usually show an intention to live with the applicant in Australia.

Which visa applies to a sponsor partner from Pakistan application?

Most couples who sponsor partner from Pakistan use the offshore Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 visa, because the partner is in Pakistan when the application is made. The onshore Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 visa is available only if the partner is in Australia, holds or recently held a suitable visa, and is not blocked by condition 8503 or the Schedule 3 criteria.

There are three main options:

• Subclass 309 partner visa (offshore). The partner applies from outside Australia. The partner must generally be outside Australia when the Subclass 309 visa is granted under subclause 309.412(1). Once granted, the partner can travel to and live in Australia. The permanent Subclass 100 stage is usually assessed about two years after the combined application was made.
• Subclass 820 partner visa (onshore). The partner applies in Australia and usually receives a bridging visa while the application is processed. The permanent Subclass 801 stage follows.
• Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa. This is for a couple who are engaged but not yet married, where the partner is outside Australia and the couple intend to marry in Australia or elsewhere within the visa period.

The firm's comparison of onshore and offshore partner visas and the short answer on Subclass 820 versus Subclass 309 explain the trade-offs. In a sponsor partner from Pakistan case, the most common choice is the Subclass 309, because the partner is living in Pakistan and the onshore pathway often carries visitor visa risks that are discussed later in this guide.

When the Subclass 300 visa fits a couple from Pakistan

The Subclass 300 visa is for couples who have not yet married. Under clause 300.214, the applicant must have met the sponsor in person since turning 18, and the couple must be known to each other personally. The visa is granted for a period of between 9 and 15 months, and condition 8519 requires the marriage to take place within the visa period. Condition 8515 also prevents the holder from marrying before entering Australia.

That last condition matters for a couple from Pakistan. Once a nikah has been performed and is valid, the couple are married. A prospective marriage visa is then no longer the right pathway, and the couple should apply for a Subclass 309 visa as spouses. A sponsor who is unsure whether a ceremony already held was a nikah or only an engagement should have this checked before choosing the visa. The short answers on the fiance visa compared with the partner visa and on whether an engagement ceremony is enough for a fiance visa deal with this question.

Is a nikah performed in Pakistan recognised in Australia?

Yes, in most cases. A marriage solemnised in Pakistan is recognised for Australian migration purposes if it was recognised as valid under Pakistani law when it was solemnised, and none of the exceptions in Part VA of the Marriage Act 1961 applies.

Section 12 of the Migration Act 1958 generally mirrors the Marriage Act in deciding whether a marriage is valid. Department policy states that a marriage not recognised in the country where it was solemnised will not be recognised under the Marriage Act or the Migration Act. The reverse is also true: a nikah that was valid in Pakistan will usually be recognised in Australia unless an exception applies. The exceptions in Department policy are:

• Polygamous marriages. Only the first marriage in a polygamous situation is capable of being recognised. A later marriage made while an earlier marriage was still on foot is not a valid marriage for migration purposes.
• Marriages within a prohibited degree of relationship. Marriages between a person and an ancestor or descendant, or between brothers and sisters, are void.
• Certain underage marriages. If either party was domiciled in Australia and under 18 at the time of the marriage, the marriage is not recognised.
• No real consent. A marriage where consent was obtained by duress or fraud, or where a party did not understand the nature of the ceremony, is not recognised.

The firm's guide to whether an overseas marriage is recognised in Australia and the short answers on what makes a valid marriage for a spouse visa and on religious and cultural marriages explain these rules in more detail.

Registration of the nikah in Pakistan

For a sponsor partner from Pakistan application, the sponsor should check that the nikah was registered as Pakistani law requires and that the registration documents are available. A religious ceremony that was never registered can create proof problems, even where the couple consider themselves married. The Department will usually expect to see the registered marriage document and, where available, the computerised marriage registration certificate.

Where there is any doubt about registration, the problem should be identified before lodgement, not after a request from the Department. The short answers on an unregistered marriage for a marriage visa and on whether a marriage certificate is enough for a spouse visa explain how the Department approaches these situations.

Nikah by proxy or by telephone

Australian law requires both parties to give consent in person when marrying in Australia. Department policy recognises, however, that some countries permit marriage by proxy. A proxy or telephone nikah may be recognised if the decision maker is satisfied that the law of the place of marriage permits consent by proxy, that the marriage was solemnised under that law, and that both parties gave real consent.

Recognition of the marriage is only the first step. The couple must still show a mutual commitment to a shared life as a married couple, a genuine and continuing relationship, and that they live together or do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis. In 1929959 (Migration) [2022] AATA 3247, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were the genuine and continuing relationship, marriage by proxy allowed in the home country, the nature of commitment, and voice and text communications almost daily. The Tribunal remitted the matter, which means it sent the matter back to the Department to decide again. The short answer on proxy and online marriages for a spouse visa explains the policy.

Arranged marriages

An arranged marriage is recognised in the same way as any other marriage. Department policy states that the fact a marriage was arranged by relatives, friends or marriage brokers does not itself affect recognition, unless one of the parties did not give real consent.

Policy does, however, direct decision makers to take particular care when assessing whether an arranged marriage meets the other parts of the spouse definition. That is why evidence of the couple's own relationship, beyond the family arrangement, is so important in a sponsor partner from Pakistan application that follows an arranged marriage. The firm's guides to arranged marriages and partner visas and to partner visas refused after an arranged marriage explain this in detail.

Cousin marriages

Marriages between cousins are not prohibited under the Marriage Act. Department policy states that marriages between cousins, or between nephews or nieces and aunts or uncles, are capable of meeting the married relationship requirement. A sponsor partner from Pakistan application where the couple are cousins is therefore not invalid for that reason. The short answer on cousin marriage and the spouse visa confirms the position.

What about previous marriages, divorce and polygamy?

A previous marriage must have ended by death, divorce or permanent separation before the current relationship can be recognised, and a marriage entered while an earlier marriage was still on foot is not a valid marriage for Australian migration purposes.

This issue arises in some sponsor partner from Pakistan cases because Pakistani law may permit a man to have more than one wife in certain circumstances. Department policy is clear. If either party has a concurrent polygamous marital relationship, neither party can satisfy the requirement of a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others. Only the first marriage is capable of recognition. A second marriage that took place before the first marriage ended is not valid under the Migration Act, even if the first spouse later dies or the first marriage is later dissolved.

That does not always end a sponsor partner from Pakistan case. Department policy states that parties to a surviving marriage that is not recognised can still satisfy the de facto relationship definition, provided theirs is the only ongoing partner relationship. The short answers on polygamous marriages and the spouse visa and on a spouse visa while still divorcing explain the options.

Where the sponsor or the applicant was married before, the evidence of how that marriage ended is part of the sponsor partner from Pakistan application. That usually means a divorce decree, the documents showing that a talaq or khula took effect under Pakistani law, or a death certificate. A divorce obtained in Australia is evidenced by the Australian divorce order. The firm's guides to partner visas after divorce, partner visas while still married and how previous relationships affect a partner visa explain how this evidence is presented.

What if the marriage is not recognised in Australia?

If a marriage performed in Pakistan is not recognised, the relationship can still be assessed as a de facto relationship under section 5CB of the Migration Act, but the de facto requirements, including the 12-month rule in regulation 2.03A, then apply.

Department policy says that where a marriage is not recognised because the married relationship requirements cannot be met, the relationship is to be assessed against the de facto partner definition. A de facto applicant for a Subclass 309 or Subclass 820 visa generally must show the de facto relationship existed for at least 12 months immediately before the application, unless an exception applies. One exception is registration of the relationship under a prescribed Australian State or Territory law. Another is compelling and compassionate circumstances. Department policy gives, as examples, a dependent child of the relationship, or de facto relationships being illegal in the country where one or both of the couple live.

In Munawar (Migration) [2018] AATA 5089, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were whether the applicant was the spouse or de facto partner of the sponsor, that the parties were Ahmadiyya community members, that the marriage was not recognised by Pakistan, and that the applicants were not validly married. The Tribunal remitted the matter to the Department. The case shows that where recognition of a marriage in Pakistan is in doubt, the de facto definition must also be considered. In practice, a sponsor partner from Pakistan application should be prepared so that it can succeed on either basis where recognition is uncertain.

The firm's guides to overseas marriages not recognised for a partner visa, the de facto partner visa and the minimum relationship length explain how a sponsor partner from Pakistan case is rebuilt on the de facto pathway when necessary.

Sponsor partner from Pakistan: which documents are needed?

The sponsor partner from Pakistan application usually needs the applicant's passport and national identity documents, birth certificate, nikah and marriage registration documents, family registration records, police certificates, evidence of any earlier marriage ending, and accurate English translations of every document not in English.

The Department's partner forms state that all documents not in English must be accompanied by an accurate English translation of the original. Many Pakistani civil documents are partly or wholly in Urdu, so translation is a practical issue in almost every case. Translations prepared in Australia are commonly made by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). The guides to partner visa evidence translation and to translating a marriage certificate explain the standard.

A typical document list for a sponsor partner from Pakistan application includes:

• Identity: the applicant's current Pakistani passport and computerised national identity card, and any earlier passports with Australian visas.
• Family records: the applicant's birth certificate and the family registration certificate issued by Pakistan's national registration authority, which can help confirm family relationships and marital status.
• Marriage: the nikah nama, the computerised marriage registration certificate where issued, and wedding photographs.
• Previous relationships: divorce documents, documents confirming that a talaq or khula took effect, or death certificates.
• Name changes: evidence of any change of name, which is common after marriage.
• Children: birth certificates and custody documents for any child included in the application.
• The sponsor's documents: proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residence, identity documents and relationship evidence from the Australian side.

Where names are spelled differently across Pakistani and Australian documents, the differences should be explained in writing. The short answers on different names and dates on documents, what to do if a birth or marriage certificate cannot be obtained and the sponsor's own documents are useful here. The guide to partner visa sponsor proof of citizenship covers the sponsor's status evidence.

Genuine documents matter. A document found to be false or misleading can lead to refusal under public interest criterion 4020, which can affect future applications. The guides to PIC 4020 for partner visas and to false documents in a partner visa explain why every document from Pakistan should be checked before it is uploaded.

Police certificates for a partner from Pakistan and for the sponsor

In a sponsor partner from Pakistan application, the applicant must meet the character requirement, which usually means providing a police certificate from Pakistan and from every other country where the applicant lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years after turning 16, and the sponsor must provide Australian and any required foreign police checks when the Department asks under regulation 1.20KC.

Pakistani police certificates are generally obtained through the police in the province or district where the person lived, and people outside Pakistan may need to apply through a Pakistani diplomatic mission. The process can take time, and a sponsor partner from Pakistan application should allow for that. Where a certificate cannot be obtained, the applicant should keep evidence of every attempt. The short answer on what to do if a police certificate cannot be obtained explains the approach, and the guide to partner visa overseas police certificates sets out the general rules.

Police certificates are a common reason for delay and, at times, refusal. In Saleem (Migration) [2019] AATA 3484, a Subclass 820 matter, the issues recorded were no police clearances, a Federal Police clearance provided upon review, and a Pakistani police clearance. The Tribunal remitted the matter. The lesson for sponsors is simple. Missing police certificates should be obtained and provided early in every sponsor partner from Pakistan application, not left to the review stage.

The sponsor has separate obligations. When the Department asks, the sponsor must provide an Australian Federal Police National Police Check and a foreign police check for any country where the sponsor lived for 12 months or more, in total, since the later of turning 16 or 10 years before the request. A sponsor who lived in Pakistan as an adult may need a Pakistani police certificate as well. The guides to the partner visa sponsor police check and to what happens when a sponsor police check is not provided explain these rules.

What relationship evidence does a sponsor partner from Pakistan application need?

A sponsor partner from Pakistan application should show the financial, household, social and commitment aspects of the relationship, adapted to a couple who may have lived apart for long periods, with evidence of contact, visits, financial support, family recognition and concrete plans to live together in Australia.

Section 5F of the Migration Act requires married partners to have a mutual commitment to a shared life as a married couple to the exclusion of all others, a genuine and continuing relationship, and to live together or not live separately and apart on a permanent basis. Many people who sponsor partner from Pakistan live in Australia while the partner remains in Pakistan, and the couple have often spent only weeks or months together, usually around the wedding. That is not fatal. It means the evidence must explain why the couple are apart and show how the relationship continues across the distance.

Useful evidence for a long-distance sponsor partner from Pakistan application includes:

• Communication: call logs and message history across the relationship, not only recent weeks, with translations of messages in Urdu or another language.
• Visits: passport stamps, boarding passes and travel records showing the sponsor's trips to Pakistan, and evidence of time spent together.
• Financial support: records of money transfers from the sponsor to the applicant, and evidence of how the money was used.
• Family and social recognition: wedding photographs, invitations, evidence that both families know and accept the relationship, and Form 888 witness statements from Australian citizens or permanent residents who know the couple.
• Future plans: evidence of preparation for life together in Australia, such as housing arrangements and plans for work or study.
• Each partner's own statement: a statement from each partner describing the relationship in their own words, which each of them reviews and corrects.

The firm's guides to long-distance relationships and partner visas, money transfers as relationship evidence, translating messages and partner visa relationship evidence explain how this evidence is organised.

When the couple live with the sponsor's or applicant's family

In many families, a newly married couple lives with parents or the wider family, and the applicant may live with the sponsor's parents in Pakistan while the sponsor works in Australia. That arrangement is not a weakness in itself. It does mean the evidence should explain the household arrangement and show the couple's own relationship within it. The guides to partner visas when living with parents and to cultural differences in a partner visa are relevant here.

Can the partner apply onshore after visiting Australia on a visitor visa?

Sometimes, but it is risky. A partner from Pakistan who holds a Subclass 600 visitor visa with condition 8503 cannot be granted a Subclass 820 visa in Australia unless the condition is waived, and a waiver requires compelling and compassionate circumstances that developed after the visa was granted, beyond the holder's control, causing a major change in circumstances.

Condition 8503 is mandatory on some visitor visa streams, including the Sponsored Family stream, and discretionary on others, including the Tourist stream. Department policy states that if the circumstances behind a waiver request existed before the visitor visa was granted, the request must be refused. Marrying or deciding to stay with an Australian partner is usually a matter within the couple's control and will not ordinarily meet the waiver test. The guides to the no further stay condition, the 8503 waiver and the short answer on condition 8503 and partner visas explain the test.

Even without condition 8503, an onshore application raises other issues. An applicant who does not hold a substantive visa when applying must meet the Schedule 3 criteria unless they are waived for compelling reasons. A person who has been refused a visa in Australia may also be subject to the section 48 bar. The firm's guides to applying for a partner visa on a tourist visa, the Schedule 3 criteria and the section 48 bar explain these traps. Where the partner is already in Australia and a visa is about to expire, the firm's urgent partner visa lodgement page and the Schedule 3 waiver lawyers page are relevant.

For most couples who sponsor partner from Pakistan, the safer course is to lodge the Subclass 309 application while the partner is in Pakistan and to treat any visit to Australia as a visit only. The short answers on mentioning a partner on a visitor visa application and on visiting Australia while a Subclass 309 is processed explain how to approach visits honestly.

How does the Department assess arranged marriages from Pakistan?

The Department assesses an arranged marriage by the same legal test as any other marriage, but policy directs particular care on whether the couple have a mutual commitment to a shared life and a genuine and continuing relationship, so the sponsor must show the relationship the couple have built themselves.

In a sponsor partner from Pakistan application following an arranged marriage, the decision maker will often ask how the couple came to know each other, how much time they spent together before and after the nikah, how they communicate, whether they share a language, and what each knows about the other's life. Inconsistent answers between the sponsor and the applicant are a common reason for refusal in sponsor partner from Pakistan cases. The guides to partner visa interview questions and to interview inconsistencies explain how to prepare.

Several decisions in which arranged marriages were in issue have been remitted on review:

• In Asim (Migration) [2020] AATA 2598, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were spouse, the genuine and continuing relationship, arranged marriage, and that the parties were validly married in the home country. The Tribunal remitted the matter.
• In El-Ghourani (Migration) [2024] AATA 585, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were the genuine and continuing relationship, multiple dates given for the marriage, that the parties were second cousins, and no prohibited marriage. The Tribunal remitted the matter.

Each case turns on its own facts, and none of these decisions decides a later sponsor partner from Pakistan case. These decisions show that an arranged marriage, a cousin marriage and inconsistencies in dates are matters the Tribunal will examine on the evidence, rather than reasons for automatic refusal. The short answer on arranged marriages for a spouse visa gives a quick summary.

Real consent and forced marriage

Department policy recognises the difference between an arranged marriage, where both parties freely consent, and a forced marriage, which is an offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995. A sponsor partner from Pakistan application must reflect the genuine consent of both people. Where either partner did not freely consent, the issue is one of safety, and anyone in immediate danger should call 000.

How much does it cost to sponsor partner from Pakistan, and how long does it take?

The partner visa application charge for the combined Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 application, or the combined Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 application, was AUD 11,710 for most applicants at the time of writing, and it is usually paid when the application is lodged.

That charge covers both stages of the visa, so a sponsor partner from Pakistan application is paid for once rather than at each stage. Additional costs can include police certificates, health examinations, translations and document fees in Pakistan. The charge is reviewed each 1 July, so sponsors should check the current figure before lodging. The firm's guides to partner visa costs and to who pays the partner visa fee explain the components.

Processing times vary with the individual case. A complete application, with police certificates, health examinations and translations ready, avoids the delays that come from requests for further information under section 56. The firm's guides to partner visa processing times, section 56 requests and the two-stage process explain what affects the timeline.

Can children be included in a sponsor partner from Pakistan application?

Yes. A dependent child of the applicant can usually be included in the sponsor partner from Pakistan application, but where the child's other parent is not migrating, the Department will generally need evidence that the other parent consents or that Australian law or an order permits the child to migrate.

Public interest criteria 4017 and 4018 apply to every sponsor partner from Pakistan application that includes a child under 18. They deal with custody and the best interests of minor children. A child from an earlier marriage of the applicant is common in these applications, and the consent of the other parent, or a custody order from a Pakistani court, is often the most important document. The short answers on including children in a partner visa and on the other parent's consent, and the guide to child custody and consent, explain this.

What happens if a sponsor partner from Pakistan application is refused?

A refused Subclass 309 or Subclass 820 visa can usually be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal, and the application must be made within 28 days after notification of the decision, or 7 days if the applicant is in immigration detention. The time cannot be extended.

The review fee is AUD 3,727 for fees paid on or after 1 July 2026. The fee may be reduced by 50% for financial hardship, and 50% of the fee is refunded if the Tribunal sets aside, varies or remits the decision. The fee must be paid within the same review period.

Who applies depends on the visa:

• Subclass 820 refusal: the visa applicant applies for review.
• Subclass 309 refusal: under current Department instructions, the visa applicant applies for review under regulation 4.02(5)(raa).
• Subclass 300 refusal: the sponsor applies for review.

For an onshore Subclass 820 applicant, a Bridging visa A linked to the application ceases 35 days after the refusal or, if review is sought, 35 days after the Tribunal's decision. The firm's guides to the partner visa appeal deadline, the ART review process and ART fees for a partner visa review, and the short answer on who applies for review of an offshore refusal, explain the procedure. The firm's partner visa refusal lawyers page and the urgent ART review page apply where a deadline is close.

The Tribunal decides the matter afresh on the evidence before it, so a refused sponsor partner from Pakistan application can be strengthened with new evidence on review. In a sponsor partner from Pakistan case, the sponsor's oral evidence at the hearing is often central, because the sponsor can explain the relationship, the family background and the plans for life in Australia directly.

How My Migration Lawyers helps sponsors with a partner from Pakistan

My Migration Lawyers deals with complex partner visa cases, acts in many matters for sponsors whose partners live in Pakistan, and is capable of handling a sponsor partner from Pakistan application from the first assessment to review at the Tribunal. The firm's Principal Lawyer is Weiwei Zhang, and the firm's approach is explained on the about My Migration Lawyers page.

On a sponsor partner from Pakistan matter, the firm:

• checks the sponsor's eligibility and any limitation under regulation 1.20J, including where the sponsor first came to Australia as a sponsored partner;
• advises on the right pathway, comparing the Subclass 309, Subclass 820 and Subclass 300 visas against the couple's facts and any visitor visa conditions;
• reviews the nikah nama, registration documents and any divorce or talaq documents to confirm the marriage is capable of recognition, and identifies the de facto alternative where it is not;
• prepares the document list for Pakistan, including identity, family registration and police certificates, and checks translations for accuracy;
• presents the couple's own account of an arranged, cousin or long-distance relationship, which each partner reviews and corrects, with Form 888 statements and contact evidence;
• prepares the sponsor and the applicant for any interview, and responds to section 56 requests and section 57 letters; and
• acts on review at the Administrative Review Tribunal if the visa is refused, within the 28-day deadline.

The firm acts for sponsors across Australia through its partner visa lawyers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The short answer on whether a lawyer can help bring a spouse from Pakistan to Australia gives a brief overview.

The best time to get advice on how to sponsor partner from Pakistan is before the application is lodged and before any visitor visa is used. Book a consultation with My Migration Lawyers, or call 1300 040 300.