United Arab Emirates, Etihad offering Canadians visas at under $70

United Arab Emirates, Etihad offering Canadians visas at under $70.Travellers can bypass embassy route where visa charges have been increased substantially.Canadians travelling through Dubai can obtain a short-term visa of four days for $61.5 (Dh225.9), provided they are travelling with Emirates airline.Similarly, Canadian citizens, holding a valid residency in the UAE and wanting to bring their parents and immediate relatives on a visit, can do so by booking tickets on Emirates airlines.The visa charges are now $74.5 (Dh273.6) for a 30-day visa extendable by another 30 days.A 90-day visa only for parents or in-laws travelling by Emirates is available for for Dh1155.The facility is only available to passengers of Emirates airline irrespective of the nationality,” said an Emirates official at the Dnata office on Sheikh Zayed Road."Canadian travellers can now apply for and purchase UAE visas online via www.emirates.com. All ticketed Emirates customers, regardless of whether their ticket was purchased via a travel agent, online via www.emirates.com, or directly from an Emirates call centre or retail shop, may log-in to ‘Manage a Booking’ on www.emirates.com and access the application tool. Both 96 hour and 30 day visas are available and these will be issued via email within 3-4 working days," said a statement isued by Emirates airline.Meanwhile, Etihad airways is offering visas for Canadian citizens at $68 (Dh249.7) for 96 hours, $83 (Dh304.7) for 30 days and $365 (dh1340) for 90 days.Passengers can also apply for a 14 days entry permit for $103 (Dh378.2) . However the passenger has to enter UAE within ten days of the issuance of the visa.Effective from 02nd January 2011, “Visa on arrival” facility has been withdrawn for Canadian Nationals and are thereby requested to apply for visa in advance.Hmmmm........Why do i get the feeling that landing rights have something to do with this?Read the full story here.