Does gender affect visa applications?

Hello Jldsince83.

Welcome to Expat.com!

In meantime, you can read these articles on Visas in United Arab Emirates.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Either spouse can sponsor the other, providing they meet the immigration requirements.

Hi there,

Are you talking about sponsorship before or after you get married?

If it's after you get married it doesn't matter, your spouse (male or female...as long as its not a same sex relationship) will automatically get a residency visa through through the employed partners employer. Yes technically a husband is supposed to sign-off saying it's ok for their wife to drive/work, for most westerners this isn't an issue.

If it's before you get married, neither of you can sponsor each other. Unfortunately you can only sponsor an immediate family member, not friends or cousins or non-married partners.

When one of you gets a job the other can come on a visitor's visa and although technically illegal, as long as you don't rub it in peoples faces, you can get away with living/staying together.   If you're looking for a job it's best to be in country and depending on nationality, you may be able to just do visa runs (for the non-employed person) to renew your tourist visa until you find a job and get sponsorship through your own employer.  You need a residency visa in order to rent an apartment here so it's better if one of you has a job before you decide to move but it should be easier for the second person to find a job while here.

Hope this helps.

e.