Partner Visas & Employer-Sponsored Visas
Migration Agents and Immigration Lawyers Cairns
Applying for a visa is one of the biggest decisions you'll make. We're here to take the hard parts off your plate - so you can focus on your future in Australia, not on government forms.
- 5 stars from 100+
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Client success stories
Mitch & Mel
Partner Visa
(subclass 820)“Massive thanks to Matilda for making this entire process smooth, accessible and easy. We couldn't have done it without you."
James Wills
Employer
(482 Nomination)"We knew we wanted to hire overseas talent but didn't know where to start. Matilda saved us a lot of time and stress."
Meet your migration experts
When you work with Matilda, you're not handed off to whoever's free. We have dedicated specialists in partner and employer-sponsored visas, each with extensive experience across Cairns and Queensland. Your case goes to the person who knows your pathway.
Nell is a qualified corporate lawyer who transitioned into strategy and operations. She spent the last two years at Eucalyptus, where she helped launch the business in international markets (Germany and Japan). She loves understanding and solving flaws in manual, demanding processes, and joined Matilda to help it become the breakthrough solution the visa industry needs.
Our Visa Services for Cairns Clients
Partner Visas
Partner visas are what we're known for. Our immigration lawyers handle every Cairns partner visa application - managing your evidence, drafting your relationship statement, and making sure the Department of Home Affairs gets a complete, well-structured application the first time around.
We specialise in:
- Subclass 820 / 801 - Onshore Partner Visa (temporary, then permanent)
- Subclass 309 / 100 - Offshore Partner Visa
- Subclass 300 - Prospective Marriage Visa
We help Cairns couples with:
- De facto applications - including guidance on Queensland's civil partnership registration option (more on this below)
- Long-distance and international relationships - overseas partners can participate fully online
- Complex evidence preparation - we reduce your workload from around 100 hours to 15–30
Employer-Sponsored Visas
Our registered migration agents handle employer-sponsored visa applications for Cairns professionals and the businesses that want to hire them. We know the Far North Queensland market - from tourism, hospitality and marine services to agriculture, aviation and construction - and how to structure an application that holds up to scrutiny.
We assist with:
- Subclass 482 - Skills in Demand visa (temporary employer-sponsored)
- Subclass 186 - Employer Nomination Scheme (permanent employer-sponsored)
- Business sponsorship applications - for Cairns employers sponsoring for the first time
- Employer nomination - nominating a specific employee under an existing sponsorship approval
Supporting both:
- Skilled professionals seeking employer-sponsored pathways to permanent residency
- Cairns-based employers navigating sponsorship obligations and documentation
Why Cairns Couples Choose Matilda for Partner Visas
A partner visa application is personal. You're sharing your relationship with a government body and trusting someone to represent it properly. Here's what working with Matilda actually looks like.
No visa, no fee. If your visa isn't granted, you don't pay our professional fees. We think that's how it should work - and it means we're invested in your outcome, not just your lodgement.
We do the heavy lifting. The average DIY partner visa takes around 100 hours of work. With Matilda, your time commitment drops to 15–30 hours. We draft your relationship statement, build your evidence album, and complete the legal forms. You provide the information; we do the rest.
Guidance on Queensland-specific options. Including civil partnership registration through the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages - a step that can support your de facto relationship evidence and, in some circumstances, help you meet the living-together requirement sooner than the standard 12 months.
Long-distance relationship support. Your overseas partner can participate fully online. Shared finances, communication records, statutory declarations - we help you structure international relationship evidence clearly and compellingly.
Fully online. No office visits. No rearranging your life around a CBD appointment. Everything is handled remotely, on a timeline that suits you.
Legal and migration expertise working together. Partner visas at Matilda are handled by immigration lawyers and registered migration agents. You get both - not one or the other.
Why Cairns Clients Choose Matilda for Employer-Sponsored Visas
Employer-sponsored visas have a lot of moving parts - the employer's obligations, the occupation list, the salary thresholds, the nomination process. Getting any of it wrong can delay or sink an application. Here's what we bring to it.
Clarity through the complexity. We explain the Cairns employer-sponsored pathway - including the 482 → 186 route to permanent residency - in plain language, so you know what you're working towards and why each step matters.
Experience across Far North Queensland industries. Tourism and hospitality, marine services, agriculture, aviation, education, and construction - our migration agents have handled employer-sponsored cases across the industries that actually drive hiring in the Cairns region.
Support for employers and employees. We work with both sides of a sponsorship: the employee navigating their visa options, and the employer managing sponsorship obligations, nomination requirements, and compliance.
Applications built to hold up. Every application we lodge is structured to meet Home Affairs requirements from the start - reducing the risk of requests for further information and the delays they cause.
Ongoing support, not just a lodgement. We stay with you after your application goes in. Progress updates, post-lodgement tasks, questions that come up along the way - we're reachable.
How Matilda works
Visa applications are already a digital process. The question is whether your agent is set up to do it well.
Named specialist, not a queue
You get a specific agent with the right expertise for your pathway, and their direct email.
Fixed fees, quoted upfront
No hourly billing. No surprise line items.
Lawyers and migration agents, together.
Registered MARA agents plus admitted Australian lawyers - the full depth of both disciplines on every case.
A case portal that works
Documents, deadlines, and status in one place. See where your application is without asking.
Fully online
No office visits. Video, email, secure uploads.
Registered and accountable
Every agent is MARA-registered or an admitted Australian lawyer. Online doesn't mean unregulated.
Partner visas in Cairns & Queensland: what to know
Registering your relationship in Queensland
If you're in a de facto relationship, the standard rule is that you need to demonstrate at least 12 months of living together before you can apply for a partner visa. Queensland gives you an alternative.
De facto couples can register their relationship as a civil partnership with the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, under the Civil Partnerships Act 2011. If your relationship is registered, the 12-month cohabitation requirement may be waived - which can significantly change when you're able to lodge, especially if your circumstances are time-sensitive.
A few things worth knowing about the process:
- Only one partner needs to live in Queensland - so this option is available even if your partner is interstate or overseas
- Both partners need certified proof of identity, including proof of home address, and a statutory declaration witnessed by an authorised person
- There's a 10-day cooling-off period from when Births, Deaths and Marriages Queensland receives your complete application - noticeably shorter than NSW and Victoria's 28 days
- The registration fee is $170; an official certificate - which you'll need for your partner visa application - costs an additional $58.10
- You can apply by post, in person at a Queensland Magistrates Court or QGAP office in Cairns or in another Queensland location
This is the kind of detail that doesn't appear in plain English on the Home Affairs website. We look at whether it's the right move for your situation as part of your eligibility assessment - before you've spent months building the wrong case.
Proving you live together in Cairns
Cairns' rental market - shaped by a large seasonal workforce in tourism and hospitality - doesn't always produce the clean joint-lease evidence the Department expects. Share houses, short-term leases, and informal living arrangements are common here and require a more considered approach to evidence.
We help you work out what evidence you actually have, structure it clearly, and fill the gaps using statutory declarations and supporting documents. A less-than-ideal living arrangement doesn't have to mean a weaker application.
Statutory Declarations
Statutory declarations - formal written statements made in front of an authorised witness - are commonly used in partner visa applications to support relationship evidence. They're particularly useful where documentary evidence is limited: long-distance periods, early stages of a relationship, or gaps in financial records.
We advise on when to use them, what they should cover, and how to get them witnessed correctly under Queensland law.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to visit an office, or can my Cairns migration agent and immigration lawyer work with me online?
Entirely online. Matilda is a fully remote migration agency - video consultations, secure document handling, and all communication happen without you ever visiting a physical office. The quality of your application doesn't depend on where you sit when you submit it.
Are online migration agents and immigration lawyers in Cairns legitimate?
Yes - what matters is MARA registration (for migration agents) or legal admission (for immigration lawyers), not a street address. You can verify any migration agent's registration on the MARA register. Our agents hold valid MARNs, and our lawyers are qualified Australian legal practitioners.
How do I prove my relationship for a partner visa in Queensland?
The Department of Home Affairs looks at four categories of evidence: financial aspects of your relationship, your living arrangements, your social life as a couple, and your commitment to each other. Within each category, they want documentation - bank statements, joint leases, photos, communication records, and statutory declarations from people who know you as a couple. We build your evidence package across all four categories and advise on gaps before you lodge.
Can I register my de facto relationship in Queensland to speed up my partner visa?
Registering your relationship as a civil partnership with the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages can waive the standard 12-month cohabitation requirement for a partner visa - which changes your application timeline. There's a 10-day cooling-off period from when your complete application is received, and it costs $170 to register plus $58.10 for an official certificate. Only one partner needs to live in Queensland. We assess whether this is the right option for your specific situation during your eligibility review.
How long do partner visas take to process in Cairns?
Partner visa processing times are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change regularly. The published timelines apply to decision-ready applications - meaning applications that are complete, well-evidenced, and correctly lodged from day one. That's what we focus on. We'll give you realistic current estimates as part of your initial consultation.
What employer-sponsored visas are available to Cairns workers and employers?
Our support for Cairns employer sponsorship covers the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) and Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) - the same national programs we work with across Australia. Far North Queensland also has its own Designated Area Migration Agreement (the FNQ DAMA) and broader access to regional visa pathways, which sit outside what Matilda currently offers. If you're weighing up those options, it's worth getting written advice on eligibility before committing to a strategy - we're happy to point you in the right direction as part of an initial consultation, even where it's outside what we directly handle.
What's the difference between a migration agent and an immigration lawyer?
Both can lodge Australian visa applications and advise on eligibility. Immigration lawyers have additional legal qualifications and can provide formal legal advice - which matters most in complex cases involving prior refusals, health waivers, or character issues. At Matilda, partner visas are handled by immigration lawyers and registered migration agents; employer-sponsored visas are handled by our MARA-registered migration agents.
Ready to Start Your Visa Journey?
Cairns clients don't need an office. They need a team that knows what they're doing - and actually cares whether the application works. That's what Matilda is.
