Hi all i have some news to share with you ...please find it below ..and i hope this wont effect us ...
Canadians face pricey visa for UAE after spat
Dec 29, 2010 at 09:01 Views (18342)
By AP
OTTAWA - Canada's diplomatic dispute with the United Arab Emirates will cost travellers to the Gulf state as much as $1,000 in new visa requirements.
The new fees kick in this weekend with the arrival of the new year, and were announced this fall at the height of a dispute between Canada and the UAE.
A 30-day, non-renewable visa will cost $250, a three-month visa $500, and a six-month multiple entry will be $1,000.
The UAE, particularly its city state of Dubai, is major travel hub linking Europe, Asia and Africa.
Camp Mirage military base, outside Dubai, was the key staging ground for the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan before the UAE issued an eviction notice.
It followed the Conservative government's refusal to grant extra landing rights to two major UAE airlines.
The decision exposed divisions in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet.
Transport Minister John Baird led the charge around the cabinet table to deny extra landing rights to Emirates and Etihad airlines.
The decision to deny greater access to the UAE airlines was based on the assumption that Canadian airlines would suffer, particularly if preferential access were given to Toronto's Pearson International Airport.
That view was opposed by Defence Minister Peter MacKay, who was concerned the decision would negatively effect Canadian relations with one of its closest Arab allies.
MacKay has publicly stated that Canada has "work to do" in repairing its relations with the UAE.
The cost of moving the Forces' supply mission from Camp Mirage has been pegged at $300 million.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon indicated Tuesday the looming visa requirement would not change the government's decision.
"Canada is a sovereign nation, and we make our decisions based on what is in the best interests of Canadians," said Melissa Lantsman.
The UAE's ambassador to Canada could not be reached for comment.
Deputy Liberal Leader Ralph Goodale accused the Conservatives of botching relations with a strategically important partner in the Persian Gulf region.
"The cost of this is going right into the pocket books of individual Canadians and companies that make visits to and do business in the UAE," Goodale said Tuesday.
"It's obvious that stupidity and incompetence extracts a cost, and it's a cost this is coming home to individual Canadians."
The new rules will affect 25,000 Canadians living in the UAE as well as the 200 Canadian companies operating in the country.
The UAE is Canada's largest trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa with bilateral trade exceeding $1.5 billion, and with Canadian exports accounting for 95 per cent, according to the UAE.
Before the new visa, Canadians arriving in the UAE — widely considered to be the major airline hub in the Persian Gulf and Middle East — were given a rubber-stamped 30-day entry permit on arrival.
Canada was among 30 countries whose citizens did not require a visa to the UAE.
The new requirements allow for a 96-hour transit visa to be issued for travellers just passing through.
Emirates and Etihad airlines will offer an on-line visa application.
But people not travelling on those airlines or not staying in hotels will have to be sponsored by a family member, friend or business contact in country, who will then have to apply to the UAE's foreign ministry for the visa.
"Once visa approval is obtained, the sponsor will be required to transmit a copy of the visa by email or fax to the Canadian traveller, who will pick up their original visa on arrival in the UAE," says Canada's Foreign Affairs website.
Diplomatic passport holders will also have to apply for a visa in advance.
Recently, the UAE ambassador to Canada Mohamed Abdulla Al Ghafli said he was disappointed over the failure to secure extra landing rights for his country's airlines.
"Six flights per week does not service the economic needs of both countries or the potential for growth," the envoy said in a recent statement.
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Roop..
