UAE visa for Iraqi citizen living in Canada?

Question

I'm an Iraqi citizen but also a permanent resident of Canada. I'd like to visit the United Arab Emirates. I've contacted the UAE embassy in Canada and was told my options would be to apply through an Emirati airline, tourism company, or hotel.

After some research, I've decided that:

Family Sponsor: Not an option.

Airline: Doesn't work since the only flight from Vancouver by an Emirati airline goes through the USA. Not a good option since I would have to apply for two visas instead of one.

Hotel: I'm either staying with friends or at an Airbnb. So this one probably won't work either. Can I book a hotel room for one night and get them to apply for a two-week visa for me?

Tourism Company: How can I find one?

Any thoughts? What other options do I have?

Answer 1

There are two airlines that serve the UAE, Eithad (the national airline) and Emirates (the airline for Dubai).

Emirates flies direct from Toronto - this is the ideal option, if you can make it all the way to Toronto.

You can fly Etihad from Vancouver to Abu Dhabi, via Paris; and you can ask Etihad to arrange for a visa for you.

Apparently the above flight is no longer available; you can fly from Vancover to Incheon (South Korea), and from there to Abu Dhabi with Etihad.

Flights are EY8502 and EY873.

As far as hotels are concerned, you cannot check-in for one day and get a visa for a week. The visa is based on your stay (the hotel acts as your sponsor). You can try your luck, but I would not count on this option.

The travel companies/tour operators will not give you a visa without signing up for a tour package. So this is also not ideal; as you will have to be bound by their itinerary for your inbound and outbound flights.