# Visa changes for Canadian passport holders



## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

Hello everyone,

I have been watching this forum for a while and would like to thank all of you for the valuable information you have provided me with. However I have an important question I can't seem to find the answer to. 

I will be arriving in Dubai By the end of Jan on visit visa. The visa requirements have changed for Canadians. I now require to have a pre approved visa before arriving to the UAE. I have opted to apply for the 60 day visit visa that costs 500 dollars. I will coming there in search of a job so I might stay longer than 60 days. I know from reading on here a few of you do these "border runs". I was wondering if that would be possible in my circumstance since the visa says it is non renewable. Plus my visa needs to be pre approved if I leave. According the uae embassy they say only they, emirates, entihad, and uae travel agents can process visas. so will I have to get a visa before I do a border run? that would mean i have two visas at the same time. Or must I return home and redo the entire process? Please help I am very confused.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

No I think you will have to apply for a new visa in a different way. I don't think it's fully clear how this will happen but it should become clear once the law kicks in how you guys can renew your visas. Btw, isn't there a 90 day visa as well?


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

according to the embassy there is only a 30 day and 60 day visa


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Well why don't you ask the embassy how it will get done. You might just need to pay for a new visa and not have to leave the country or may have to leave for a few days or more.


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

i will give them a call and see what they have to say.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Let us know what they say as well. My understanding is that we are now part of the rest of 'them' and not privileged anymore. In which case, no renewals. You have to be out of the country for 30 days after exiting and then re-apply for a visa. This would mean no visa runs.

Of course, this is not very clear from the UAE Embassy's site so do share your findings.

GL


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

WOW i really hope that is not the case! I do not want to leave the country for 30 days then reapply for a visa. I will speak with them and post what they say.


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

my appolgies guys the 500 dollar visa for 90 days not 60 days


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

^^ that's actually not as bad. At least they are allowing you to purchase a 90 day stay.

There might be hope after all.

Keep us posted.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Did the visa run with NS today w_man?


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

everything will remain unchanged until january 2 2011. thats when the new rules take effect


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Moe78 said:


> Did the visa run with NS today w_man?


Yup - it was pretty good. Saw a bunch of camels  

NS especially enjoyed the P'Zone 

And yes - the rules are changing from Jan 02 but not sure what the process will really be. If we can't do visa runs then can we just buy time? Hopefully this won't really apply to me as my residency should get processed but it will be good to know the final verdict on this.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Did he get it from Oman? I bought a pizza from the Pizza Hut in the Omani border place, definitely better than the Pizza Hut here!


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Hi,

I have to admit that you ve got guts. When I got the job and precisely one week after my arrival all that UAE Canada thing happened. I actually thought that I would lose my job in the process. You never know how government related issues will affect citizens.....

Also, I had friends who wanted to pay a visit since Canada to UAE is not cheap and accommodation is expensive. It is not one's first choice for traveling when we have closer places to go and explore, but now with this requirement and high price to get the visa none of my friends will be coming. 

what I am trying to say is that be prepared for not finding anything because it might happen. Try the Canadian Business Club in Abu Dhabi if you are looking for jobs they might give you some hints,


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Moe78 said:


> Did he get it from Oman? I bought a pizza from the Pizza Hut in the Omani border place, definitely better than the Pizza Hut here!


That's the one! The express on the second floor.


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

Canuck_Sens said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have to admit that you ve got guts. When I got the job and precisely one week after my arrival all that UAE Canada thing happened. I actually thought that I would lose my job in the process. You never know how government related issues will affect citizens.....
> 
> ...



Are you saying people are less likely to hire Canadians over others because of this visa requirement? Or that no one is hiring period?


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

amineben said:


> Are you saying people are less likely to hire Canadians over others because of this visa requirement? Or that no one is hiring period?


susceptibilities....

I am sayings things might get difficult..nothing else ...but hey knock yourself out and go for it.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Jordan and Qatar have had a feud for a few years now. It is VERY difficult for Jordanians to find work or even get visas to Qatar and when your residence runs out, they make you jump through hoops to get it renewed. That could happen to Canadians too.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Oh come on Moe - Don't say that .... trying to get an apartment sorted out here has demotivated me enough - don't scare me even more


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## Vmoses (Sep 14, 2009)

This thing is craziness. UAE is abusing Canada and Candians now. The latest:



> DUBAI (Reuters) – Canadian nationals will have to pay as much as $1,000 in visa fees to travel to the United Arab Emirates from next month, the latest development in a diplomatic row over landing rights.
> 
> Tensions have risen between the two countries since Canada denied expanded landing rights for UAE airlines flying to Canada. That triggered a UAE government decision to end access to a military base used by the Canadian military to support troops in Afghanistan.
> 
> ...


I would expect a huge hassle for anyone travelling in the UAE for the next 6 months as the new rules get processed by the layers of bureaucracy.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Curious. Do UAE citizens get free visas on arrival in Canada?


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## Vmoses (Sep 14, 2009)

^No - they have to apply before hand. $75 bucks per or $400 for whole family according to this: Fees


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Well there you go. When trade disputes get ugly because politicians get involved, things like this fall apart. You have to blame the Canadian government for being so protective. They should have tried prolonging the talks.


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## Vmoses (Sep 14, 2009)

^Oh come on. How many trade disputes are there between countries? Heck you know how many trade issues there are/were between Canada and the States. Hasn't affected anything. It can't be out of all the 30 countries allowed free visas on arrival that the UAE has had a trade dispute with only Canada. The problem here is a prickly country ruled by dictators.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

When NZ didn't send troops to fight in Iraq (they sent engineers after the invasion), the US stopped Free trade talks.

Emirates and Etihad are major players in the Airline services industry, when a major source of your country's revenue (they are government owned too) is being hampered for reasons that "may" affect a small time local Canadian company then your relationship is going to deteriorate. 

If they were really pissed off about it, they could make it impossible for Canadians to enter the country. Instead they are charging Canadians to get visas, which Canada has been doing to the UAE all along. 

Of course it's part of a petty dispute, but disputes like this happen all the time.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

If I were you, I would not discuss politics hurdles in an open forum like this one.

Let the politicians of both countries resolve their issues. That's why they are there ..to sort things out and luckily they will ..that's all we can hope for...


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

Alright everyone i have the information required. For Canadian travelling to the UAE after Jan 2 2011. You will require a pre arranged visa. It can be obtained from the UAE embassy in Ottawa and instructions on are listed on there website. However the better option in my opinion is to get an E-visa. These must be issued trough Emirates or Entihad air therefore you will be required to have a booking through them. They have 30 60 and 90 day visa's. I was only looking at the 90 day visa and the cost is 1155 AED. I dont know the cost of the rest. Furthermore, in regards to visa runs, Canadians will no longer be able to do so. After your visa has expired you must leave the country and will not be able to apply for another one until 30 days has passed. E-visa's can be applied for a minimum of 10 business days in advance and a maximum of 60 days. Through the embassy I believe the minimum is 15 days. Also the rates for the visa's are more expensive through embassy.


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## debbie790 (Dec 28, 2010)

What if I enter on a tourist visa, then apply for a promoter/investor visa, do I have to wait for 30-days to enter as on my investor visa? or Just a one-day visa run to Oman, and then re-enter on my investor visa?

debbie


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## amineben (Dec 23, 2010)

I'm not sure what an investor visa is. But one of the rules stated that u can't hold more then one visa at once.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Yikes - that's expensive!! 

Serves Canada right .... You'd think that this would wake Harper up but I am confident he is still as clueless as a monkey in space ..... or wait ... aren't those monkeys professionally trained? 

Harper has no hope. Well done Air Canada - you have done it again.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Moe78 said:


> When NZ didn't send troops to fight in Iraq (they sent engineers after the invasion), the US stopped Free trade talks.
> 
> Emirates and Etihad are major players in the Airline services industry, when a major source of your country's revenue (they are government owned too) is being hampered for reasons that "may" affect a small time local Canadian company then your relationship is going to deteriorate.
> 
> ...



I agree with Moe. Now, Canadians either have to go through the hassle of applying for a visa or have Emirates/Etihad arrange it for them as long as they use either one of these airlines. Oh the irony, Etihad and Emirates might end up getting more business out of this after all!


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Fresh in the news

Canadian visa fees to take effect January 2 - The National


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2010)

w_man said:


> Yikes - that's expensive!!
> 
> Serves Canada right .... You'd think that this would wake Harper up but I am confident he is still as clueless as a monkey in space ..... or wait ... aren't those monkeys professionally trained?
> 
> Harper has no hope. Well done Air Canada - you have done it again.


:roll:

Let's do a swap - put Harper in space and the monkey on Sussex Drive....it can only e an improvement

I couldn't agree with you more. Harper just does not have a clue. He is an embarrassment, and so is Air Canada


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## debbie790 (Dec 28, 2010)

amineben said:


> I'm not sure what an investor visa is. But one of the rules stated that u can't hold more then one visa at once.


I am a Canadian citizen who will be entering the UAE on a tourist visa after which, I will obtain an investor visa (as I will be investing in a Jafza-Jebel Ali Free Zone company). According to the Jafza in order for my investor visa to be applicable, I am required to exit & re-enter the UAE. 

I would like to determine whether I can exit the UAE and re-enter the same day (one-day visa run) on my investor visa? or I exit the UAE, wait 30-days and then enter on my investor visa?

debbie


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## Nitro_From_Windsor (Sep 10, 2010)

This is actually a pretty dumb issue. The basis of the argument is that one country is at odds with the other because an airline doesn't have landing rights. Come on now, thats real silly. Plus its not like Emirates or Etihad don't have any landing right. I fly Emirates 3 times a year from Toronto to Dubai direct on the A380. That flight is always full, every single time.

Emirates has enough routes going to most of the cities in the world. They don't need to get greedy. Air Canada needs its destinations too. True that a little competition is good and all that, but my point in all this is that the arguments that the two governments are having, where us Canadians have to suffer, has no real merit. Its more of people egos flaring out. Sorry for the ranting. Also, sorry if I broke any forum rules with this post, didn't mean to.

My sister and her family are flying in tonight from Detroit via Amsterdam. Hopefully they don't get delayed and end up after the 2nd in Dubai 

:canada: :canada: :canada: :canada: :canada: :canada: :canada: :canada: :canada:


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes it's full every single time which could mean there is potential for more and demand for more. I have yet been on an Emirates long haul flight that has not been full.

Besides it's your country that refused to negotiate it seems, might be wrong there. Were there any compromises? And for your suffering? What about Emiratis who go to Canada? Seems they don't get free visas on arrival and never have. They could have made it much harder for Canadians than having to pay for a visa. I think the Canadian government could have avoided this if they kept the dialogue open or tried to stall until a better administration was elected.


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## Nitro_From_Windsor (Sep 10, 2010)

Moe78 said:


> Yes it's full every single time which could mean there is potential for more and demand for more. I have yet been on an Emirates long haul flight that has not been full.
> 
> Besides it's your country that refused to negotiate it seems, might be wrong there. Were there any compromises? And for your suffering? What about Emiratis who go to Canada? Seems they don't get free visas on arrival and never have. They could have made it much harder for Canadians than having to pay for a visa. I think the Canadian government could have avoided this if they kept the dialogue open or tried to stall until a better administration was elected.


I am not defending either country in this issue, just that it is a dumb issue to have when there are many other more important stuff happening in the world. As far as suffering, the visa is not the only thing that has happened. Canada government has to spend something like $300 million to remove Camp Mirage from UAE. That eventually comes out of the tax payer's pockets. These are unnecessary burdens on the people.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Ahhh well, that's the cost of joining a war that's going nowhere. Yes it is dumb but so is most issues in the world really. The term "humanity" has become a joke


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Moe78 said:


> Ahhh well, that's the cost of joining a war that's going nowhere.


That isnt at all a factor in this situation, imho. Otherwise, other countries would be treated the same way. 

It is sad that they wouldnt compromise with each other. A bit more blame might lay with Canadaian government but for a country that is wishing to expand its flights, this was not the best way for uae to get what they wanted.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Yes but at the same time - Canadian government has been known to protect Air Canada and well ... regulate a few industries to a point where the competition is crippled. This has been an on-going issue and UAE isn't the first to approach Canada for landing rights. 

I agree that UAE could have gone a different route in this matter but I'm also glad that they stood up and made this a big enough issue. Harper is an idiot and he could have very easily avoided this mess. Or better yet - let some competition in the airlines industry so the 'tax payers' are not selling their left kidney to fly in that country.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

The latest in the Canada / UAE feud:

Canadian PM tells UAE ?give me a break? over airline spat - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com


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