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Effective from 02nd January 2011, “Visa on arrival” facility has been withdrawn for Canadian Nationals and are thereby requested to apply for visa in advance.

According to a statement posted on its website the airline says, “Due to the current high volume of applications, we require a minimum of 5 - 7 working days to process applications,”

Canada, until recently, was among more than 30 countries whose citizens could travel to the UAE on a free one-month visa.

But the UAE authorities recently amended the rules whereby Canadians will now have to pay $1,000 for a six-month multiple entry visa and the maximum stay is 14 days per visit. A three-month visa will go for $500. A 30-day visa will cost $250.

In October last year the UAE had given a 30 day deadline for the Canadian military personnel to leave the Camp Mirage base outside Dubai.

The irony is that the diplomatic standoff between Canada and the UAE centres around airspace and the nations carriers. Now it is the Emirates route that seems best for Canadians.

Earlier Story: Canadians to pay $998 for UAE visa

Canadian citizens travelling to the UAE will need to budget a little extra time and money when planning their trips.

The UAE Embassy in Canada has announced it will charge Canadian nationals up to C$1,000 (US$998) for entry visas to the Gulf country from January 2 onwards.

The UAE Embassy in Ottawa has posted the new rates on its website, including a short-term (30 days), non-renewable visa that will cost C$250 ($249), a long-term (3 months) non-renewable visa for C$500 ($499), and a six-month multiple-entry visa for C$1,000 ($998), which allows for a maximum stay in the UAE of 14 days per visit.

While Canada was earlier among the list of 30-plus countries whose nationals do not require a visa to travel to the UAE - including the US, Germany, Japan and France - travellers will now need to apply for the visa about three weeks prior to flying.

The complete visa application needs to be sent to the UAE Embassy 15 working days before the departure date, according to the new requirements. The amount paid "is non-refundable in case of a visa refusal," the embassy said, adding that visa requirements may change in the future.

The new fees come into effect January 2.

The decision for Canadian nationals to require visas to enter the UAE was announced in November.