A Canada visit visa, also called a tourist visa in the UAE, is officially a visitor visa, issued as a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). The rules below apply to tourism, to visiting family or friends and, with an invitation letter from the host company, to a business trip.
Do you need a visa or an eTA?
It depends on your passport, not on your UAE residence. Citizens of visa-exempt countries, such as most European countries, need an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to fly to Canada. It is a short online form, costs CAD 7 (about AED 20) and is valid for up to 5 years or until the passport expires. Most travellers complete it on their own on IRCC's website. Citizens of visa-required countries, such as India, need a visitor visa, officially a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV).
IRCC also lets a short list of visa-required nationalities use an eTA instead, if they hold a valid US visa or held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years. At the date of this guide, India is not on that list. Check IRCC's official tool for your passport before you plan. The rest of this guide is about the visitor visa.
Documents required for a Canada visit visa
You apply online to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The online questions create a checklist in your IRCC account, and these are the documents almost every UAE-resident file starts with.
- Passport. Valid for your whole trip. We ask for at least 6 months of validity beyond your travel date. You upload a clear colour scan of the pages with your details and every visa and stamp.
- UAE residence visa and Emirates ID. Your residence visa should still have at least 90 days of validity left.
- Photo. Recent and meeting IRCC's photo specifications.
- Application answers and family information. Completed online. Every detail must match your documents.
- Proof of funds. Personal bank statements, usually the last 3 to 6 months (see below).
- Proof of your job. An employer letter confirming your position, salary and approved leave, or your trade licence if you run a business.
- Purpose of travel. A clear cover letter and a realistic day-by-day itinerary.
- Proof of ties to the UAE or your home country. The reasons you are expected to return (see below).
- Travel history. Your previous visas and entry and exit stamps.
- Invitation letter, if relevant. If you visit someone, their invitation letter and proof of their status in Canada. A business trip needs an invitation letter from the host company.
- Previous refusal application number, if any. A mandatory field, see Common mistakes.
Travel medical insurance is not a visa requirement for Canada, but we recommend it, because visitors are not covered by Canada's public health care.
What changes with your situation
Open the situation that matches yours.
Employed in the UAE
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Bring a letter from your employer, usually on company letterhead, confirming your position, your salary and your approved leave dates. The salary on the letter should match your bank statements, and the leave dates should match your itinerary.
Self-employed or business owner
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Bring your valid trade licence. The officer also looks at how your income appears in your accounts, so keep your bank statements consistent with the activity you declare.
Someone else pays for your trip
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The sponsor is whoever pays for the trip. If a family member pays, the proof of funds that counts is theirs: their bank statements and proof of employment, with a letter confirming they are covering your costs, and often proof of your relationship. We confirm whose documents are needed before the file is prepared.
Visiting family or friends in Canada
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An invitation letter is optional but helps confirm the purpose of your trip. It is stronger with proof of your host's status in Canada and a clear plan for where you will stay.
Business trip
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An invitation letter from the host company is required, explaining the purpose of the visit.
Travelling with children
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Each child has their own application. Where a child travels with only one parent, a consent letter from the other parent is usually part of the file, along with proof of relationship such as a birth certificate.
Previously refused, by Canada or another country
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Declare it, and if it was a Canada refusal, enter the number from your refusal letter. A refusal from another country does not automatically affect your Canada application, but it must be declared honestly. Our case study shows what an undisclosed refusal can cost.
Bank statements and proof of funds
- IRCC does not publish a fixed minimum amount for visitors. The officer decides whether your funds fit the length and cost of your trip.
- We recommend your last 3 to 6 months of personal bank statements, and 6 months if you have them.
- Your deposits should match the income you declare. A large deposit just before you apply, with no explanation, can raise questions.
- If someone else pays, their statements and proof of employment carry the financial proof.
Ties to the UAE and a realistic itinerary
Canada looks closely at two questions, and both answers must be solid: will you return to the UAE at the end of your stay, and is the trip genuinely for tourism or business? A strong file answers both.
- Ties. More is better: property in your name, your own business, close family in the UAE, children enrolled in school here. Include whatever applies to you, even documents that feel optional, such as a DEWA bill, your car registration (Mulkiya), a tenancy contract or title deeds, a marriage certificate or a school enrolment letter.
- Itinerary. A refusal is often about a plan that does not hold up to a closer look, for example two cities hundreds of kilometres apart on the same day. We check your plan for realism before it becomes a reason for refusal.
- Flights. Do not book flights until the visa is issued.
How to apply for a Canada visit visa from Dubai or Abu Dhabi
- Step 1. Prepare and check your documents.
- Step 2. Apply online in your IRCC account and pay the government fees.
- Step 3. IRCC sends a biometrics instruction letter, if biometrics are required. If you gave biometrics for a Canadian application in the last 10 years, even one that was refused, IRCC reuses them: you do not give them again and you do not pay the biometrics fee again. Send us your previous biometrics confirmation if you have it.
- Step 4. Give your biometrics at the VFS Global centre in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, within 30 days of the date on the letter.
- Step 5. IRCC decides on the written file. The decision comes to you online, by email and in your IRCC account, not through VFS.
- Step 6. If the visa is approved, a letter in your IRCC account asks for your passport. You submit it to VFS, following the instructions in the letter, and IRCC places the visa sticker in it. Plan to leave your passport for a few days. You cannot travel until the visa is in your passport.
So there are two visits to VFS: one for your biometrics, before the decision (not needed if you already gave them in the last 10 years), and one after approval to submit your passport. Canada has no interview, so there is rarely a chance to explain a gap after the file is sent. That is why we ask for everything upfront.
Canada visit visa cost from Dubai and Abu Dhabi
The government charges CAD 100 per person for the visitor visa (about AED 270). If biometrics are required, add CAD 85 per person (about AED 230), capped at CAD 170 (about AED 460) for a family applying together. These are paid online to IRCC (official fee list). You can pay through the official link yourself, or we can pay it for you: it then appears as a separate line, at cost, with a receipt. Rates are current for 2026 and can change.
Our service fee is separate: AED 950, AED 1,400 or AED 2,500 depending on how fast you need your appointment. See our Canada visit visa page, or the visa cost guide for worked examples.
How long it takes, and how long the visa lasts
Processing is not a fixed period. It commonly runs 30 to 60 days and can be longer, especially if IRCC asks for additional documents partway through. If a document is missing, the application is not rejected automatically, but the decision takes longer. For a real example of a timeline, see our family case.
A Canada visitor visa is usually multiple-entry, valid for up to 10 years or until your passport or your biometrics expire, whichever comes first. The officer can still issue a shorter validity or a single entry, depending on your profile and travel history. How long you can stay on each visit is decided by the border officer when you arrive, typically up to 6 months, not by the visa itself.
Common mistakes that lead to a refusal
- An itinerary that is not realistic, or a purpose of travel that is unclear.
- Weak evidence of ties: the officer is not convinced you will return to the UAE.
- A bank statement that does not match the income you declare.
- Missing documents from the person who pays for the trip.
- Inconsistent details between the application, the cover letter and the supporting letters.
- Not declaring a previous refusal, or leaving the refusal application number field empty.
- Sending a thin file, expecting an interview to fill the gaps. There is none.
A refusal means paying the government fees again and waiting longer. Visa approval always remains at the discretion of the Canadian authorities.
Want us to check your file?
The official checklist is generic. We check which documents your own situation needs, put your itinerary in a realistic order and check that the whole file is consistent before it is submitted. See our Canada visit visa page for the three packages, or estimate your total. If you were refused before, start with our case studies on sponsored applications and on visiting a sick relative.
Official sources
Rules and fees can change, so check the official pages before you apply: