Indian and Pakistani passport holders in the UAE need a Canadian visitor visa, which costs CAD 185 with biometrics and is applied for online. Filipino passport holders may be able to skip it entirely and fly on a CAD 7 electronic travel authorisation instead. This guide covers both routes, the biometrics appointment in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and the timing mistake that delays most applications.
Checked on 13 September 2026 against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Visa Application Centre in the UAE. Sources are linked at the end. Fees and processing times change, so confirm on canada.ca before you pay.
On this page
- Visitor visa or eTA: which one applies to you
- The eTA route for Filipino passport holders
- What it costs from the UAE
- How to apply online
- Biometrics in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
- Processing times and when to apply
- Documents and proving your ties to the UAE
- The passport request stage
- Questions people ask
Visitor visa or eTA: which one applies to you
Canada issues two different travel documents, and which one you need depends on your passport, not on your UAE residence.
- A visitor visa, officially a Temporary Resident Visa or TRV, is a sticker placed in your passport. It costs CAD 100 plus biometrics.
- An eTA, an electronic travel authorisation, is linked digitally to your passport. It costs CAD 7 and most applications are approved within minutes.
| Your passport | What you need |
|---|---|
| India | Visitor visa (TRV) |
| Pakistan | Visitor visa (TRV) |
| Philippines | Visitor visa, or an eTA if you meet three conditions |
| Egypt | Visitor visa (TRV) |
| Sri Lanka | Visitor visa (TRV) |
| Bangladesh | Visitor visa (TRV) |
| Nigeria | Visitor visa (TRV) |
| UAE | Visitor visa (TRV) |
The eTA route for Filipino passport holders
This is the part worth reading carefully, because it can turn a CAD 185 application with a biometrics appointment into a CAD 7 online form approved in minutes.
In June 2023 Canada added 13 countries to its eTA programme, the Philippines among them. Citizens of these countries may apply for an eTA instead of a visa when flying to Canada. IRCC sets three conditions, and you must meet all three:
- You have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years, or you currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa.
- You are coming to Canada for a temporary stay, normally up to six months.
- You are flying to, or transiting through, a Canadian airport on your Philippine passport.
The second condition in the first point matters for a lot of people in the UAE. A great many Filipino residents here hold a valid US B1/B2 visa. If yours is valid on the day you apply for the eTA, you qualify — and IRCC states the US visa does not need to still be valid when you actually travel.
The eTA only works if you fly. If you arrive in Canada by car, bus, train or boat, including a cruise ship, you need a full visitor visa even if you hold an eTA. People planning a trip that enters Canada from the United States by road are the usual ones caught out here.
If you do not meet all three conditions, you need the visitor visa. And if you are travelling on an Indian or Pakistani passport, this route is not available at all — neither country is on Canada’s eTA-eligible list.
Be careful which website you trust on this. While researching this guide we found a site with a domain resembling IRCC’s stating plainly that the Philippines is not on Canada’s eTA-eligible list. Canada’s own website lists the Philippines. The only official source is canada.ca. Check any claim there before acting on it.
What it costs from the UAE
The government fees are set by IRCC and are the same worldwide.
| Fee | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Visitor visa, single or multiple entry | 100 per person |
| Visitor visa, family of 5 or more applying together | 500 maximum |
| Biometrics | 85 per person |
| Biometrics, family applying together | 170 maximum |
| eTA, if you qualify | 7 per person |
Budget CAD 185 per adult for a standard visitor visa application. On top of the government fees, the visa application centre charges its own service fee for collecting your biometrics, payable in dirhams at the centre.
The visa fee is non-refundable. You pay it to have your application assessed, so a refusal does not get your money back. A ten-year multiple-entry visa costs the same CAD 100 as a single-entry one.
How to apply online
Canadian visitor visa applications are made online. There is no paper form to hand in at a counter, and no interview for most visitor applicants.
- Create an account on the IRCC portal at canada.ca and answer the eligibility questions. The system generates a personalised document checklist.
- Complete the application forms and upload your documents as instructed.
- Pay the visa fee and the biometrics fee online.
- Wait for your Biometric Instruction Letter, which IRCC sends after payment.
- Book an appointment at the Canada Visa Application Centre and attend in person.
- Wait for a decision, then submit your passport if IRCC asks for it.
Biometrics in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
If you are between 14 and 79 years old, you almost certainly need to give biometrics: fingerprints and a photograph. You cannot do this at home or online. You attend a Canada Visa Application Centre in person, with an appointment, and you must bring your Biometric Instruction Letter.
The UAE has Canada Visa Application Centres in Abu Dhabi, at Level B2 of The Mall at the World Trade Centre on Khalifa Bin Zayed the 1st Street, and in Dubai.
Once collected, biometrics for visitor applications are generally valid for 10 years, so a repeat trip inside that window does not mean repeating the appointment.
Nobody sells biometrics appointments. Booking a slot is free. IRCC also states that visa application centres play no part in the decision on your application and are expressly forbidden from giving visa advice. If someone at a centre, or an agency outside it, offers to improve your chances for a fee, they cannot do what they are promising.
Processing times and when to apply
Here is the detail that catches out more UAE applicants than any other: IRCC counts processing time from the day it receives your biometrics, not the day you submit online.
Submit your application, then take three weeks to get to the centre, and you have added three weeks to your wait before the clock even starts. Book the appointment as soon as your instruction letter arrives.
IRCC publishes a processing-time tool on canada.ca that gives a current estimate for visitor visas by country of residence. These estimates move with application volumes, so check the tool rather than relying on a figure in any guide, including this one. As a planning rule, start your application around three months before you intend to travel, and earlier for summer and December trips.
Documents and proving your ties to the UAE
Your exact checklist is generated by the IRCC portal based on your answers, and that is the list you must follow. In practice, UAE applicants are usually asked for:
- Passport, valid well beyond your travel dates
- UAE residence visa and Emirates ID
- Employer letter or NOC confirming your job, salary and approved leave
- Bank statements, usually six months, stamped by your bank
- Salary certificate or payslips
- Travel history, including previous visas and entry stamps
- Your travel plan and where you will stay
- An invitation letter, if family or friends are hosting you
The question behind all of it is whether you will leave Canada at the end of your visit. A visa officer who is not satisfied on that point refuses the application, and it is the most common reason for refusal worldwide.
What helps: a stable job in the UAE, a residence visa with time left on it, family here, property or a tenancy contract, a consistent bank balance rather than a sudden deposit, and a trip that makes sense on paper. A two-week holiday funded by ten months of savings reads very differently from a two-week holiday funded by a deposit that landed last Thursday.
The passport request stage
If your application is approved, IRCC emails you a passport request, often shortened to PPR. Only then do you send your passport in to have the visa sticker placed.
Do not send your passport before this. In the UAE, submission is handled through the visa application centre, and some centres accept passports by courier only. Check your centre’s instructions when the request arrives, because they vary.
Mistakes that cost people time and money
- Delaying the biometrics appointment. The processing clock does not start until IRCC has your fingerprints.
- Filipino applicants paying for a TRV they did not need. If you hold a valid US non-immigrant visa and you are flying, check the eTA route first. It is CAD 7 instead of CAD 185.
- Assuming the eTA covers a land crossing. It does not. Entering from the US by road needs a visitor visa.
- Buying non-refundable flights before approval. There is no guaranteed timeline and no fast track.
- Sending the passport early. Wait for the passport request.
- Paying an agency for an appointment slot. Slots are free.
- Using a lookalike website. Apply on canada.ca. Nothing else is the government.
Questions people ask
How much is a Canada visitor visa from Dubai?
CAD 100 for the visa and CAD 85 for biometrics, so around CAD 185 per adult, plus the visa application centre’s service fee in dirhams. A family of five or more applying together pays a maximum of CAD 500 in visa fees and CAD 170 in biometrics fees.
Can Filipinos in the UAE travel to Canada without a visa?
Possibly. Philippine passport holders may apply for a CAD 7 eTA instead of a visa if they have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years or currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa, are visiting temporarily, and are arriving by air. All three conditions must be met, and the eTA does not cover arrival by land or sea.
Do Indians in Dubai need a visa for Canada?
Yes. India is not on Canada’s eTA-eligible list, so Indian passport holders need a visitor visa regardless of how long they have lived in the UAE or what other visas they hold.
How long does a Canada visitor visa take from the UAE?
It varies with application volumes. Check IRCC’s processing-time tool on canada.ca for a current estimate, and remember that the clock starts when IRCC receives your biometrics, not when you submit. Apply around three months ahead.
How long is a Canadian visitor visa valid?
Canada commonly issues multiple-entry visitor visas valid up to 10 years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Each individual stay is normally up to six months. The fee is the same either way.
Do I need to give biometrics again for a second trip?
Usually not. Biometrics for visitor applications are generally valid for 10 years.
Related guides
Sources
- IRCC — check if you need a visa or eTA: canada.ca
- IRCC — eTA for citizens of some visa-required countries: eligibility conditions
- IRCC — biometric fee schedule: canada.ca
- IRCC — find a visa application centre: canada.ca
- Canada Visa Application Centre, United Arab Emirates: visa.vfsglobal.com
- Government of Canada — announcement adding 13 countries to the eTA programme, 6 June 2023
Written by Asad Waleed M, Dubai. Asad researches visa rules from government sources and publishes what they actually say. He is not an immigration lawyer or consultant, and Sifqa does not process applications. Read the editorial policy.
Last checked 13 September 2026. Fees and processing times are rechecked quarterly. Found an error? Email asadwaleed2020@gmail.com — it gets fixed and logged.
