Visa Requirements for Egypt
Photo: Limestone ostracon of Hatshepsut (18th Dyn) kneeling and offering two nu jars to a deity. Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna. (Cairo airport museum) 2023
On October 1, 2023, Egypt established new requirements for Canadian visitors to personally visit an Embassy or Consulate of Egypt in Canada (Ottawa/Montreal) to obtain a visa prior to travelling to Egypt. They also now allow applications by postal mail,[1] but this is cumbersome, timely, expensive and without a guarantee of success. Previously Canadians had the luxury to get a visa on arrival with almost zero problems. Currently EU members plus citizens from 13 other countries can continue to get a visa on arrival in Egypt, but not Canadians.
Of course it is upsetting, and a trip to Egypt from Canada is already very expensive and now you have to plan your flight and accommodation before you even know if you will be approved. However, I’m not angry with Egypt for pushing back on Canada. This is entirely the fault of the Canadian government and their own immigration and visa policies.
Why are approval ratings for visas to Canada so biased? Most African and Middle Eastern countries are approved less than 50% of the time?
Student Visa approval rates by Country (2021)[2]
From this sample it appears there is a strong bias in favour of non-Muslim countries, unless they are wealthy. This is also in line with the TRV[4] analysis conducted by Cohen Immigration Law (Madrid, 2024).
Foreign tourists coming to Canada need to provide the following for a tourist visa – passport[5], travel history[6], itinerary, bank account statement, and authority to release personal information.
When the approval process is so intrusive, costly and without a proper chance of success, why would those foreign citizens even apply.
We can bemoan the problem as Egypt being too restrictive, but in reality, this new policy is in opposition to the unfair approval process that denies Egyptians the right to visit Canada (for work, study or as a tourist).
Write your MPs demanding Canada mend fences with Egypt, and other African and Middle Eastern countries that have been unfairly burdened by Canada’s biased policies. Developed countries like Canada should be setting a better example.
References
Eslami, R. (2024) What Is A Canada Visa Rejection Rate? Arnika Visa Solutions. https://arnikavisa.com/canada-visa-rejection-rate/
Government of Canada (2022) CIMM – Student Approval Rates by Country of Residence – March 24, 2022. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/committees/cimm-mar-24-2022/student-approval-rates.html
Madrid, K (2024) Top highest and lowest approval rate of TRVs by country in 2023. Cohen Immigration Law. https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/top-highest-and-lowest-approval-rate-of-trvs-by-country-in-2023.838721/
[1] https://documentauthentication.ca/embassies/egypt-embassy-canada/
[2] GoC (2022) – 2021 is the last full year reported online
[3] Gaza and West Bank residents are approved only 16% of the time, but Israel residents are approved 93%
[4] Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or visitor visa
[5] But Canada does not accept any passport issued by Somalia (Immigration and Citizenship Canada)
[6] Including: your previous passports and/or visas (used within the last 10 years to travel outside your country), entry and exit stamps, study and/or work permits that indicate your duration outside of your country, expired or valid visas https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/apply-visitor-visa.html
