Moving to Canada from the UAE

Why this page is not about Emiratis

Canada admitted 10 Emirati citizens as permanent residents in 2025. Almost everyone researching this from Dubai or Abu Dhabi is an expatriate: the UAE is roughly 89% non-citizen. So the questions that matter here are not about being Emirati. They are about being a resident of one country and a national of another, which is a genuinely different set of problems.

Both Canada and the UK publish their statistics by nationality, not residence. A Pakistani in Dubai is counted as Pakistani. That is why you will not find "UAE applicants" in any official table.

→ Work out your Canadian points: free, two minutes.

What it costs from the UAE

Dirham figures use the HMRC customs rate for September 2026 and are approximate.

Government fees for Canadian permanent residence come to roughly AED 4,400 for one person, usually less than a month's rent, and a fraction of what an immigration consultancy in Dubai will quote you for the same application.

What is different when you live in the UAE

Your police certificate can come from any emirate. IRCC is explicit: you only need one police clearance from any emirate in the UAE (IRCC UAE). A Dubai resident can use an Abu Dhabi certificate. There is no requirement to match the emirate you live in, which is the opposite of how it works in, say, Pakistan.

Three ways to get it: online through the Ministry of Interior or your emirate's police portal, in person, or through a representative with a power of attorney: a friend, relative or colleague. That last route is explicitly allowed by IRCC and it matters, because of the next point.

⚠️ The online route needs a valid Emirates ID. The MOI service costs AED 100, is issued in minutes, and requires an Emirates ID to apply. It also requires you to have paid any outstanding traffic fines in that emirate first (UAE MOI). If you have already left the UAE and your residence has been cancelled, your Emirates ID goes with it, and so does the fast online route. Get your certificate before you leave, or plan on the power of attorney.

You will probably need more than one police certificate. The rule is one for every country you stayed in for six consecutive months or more in the last ten years, since you turned 18. For a long-term UAE expat that usually means at least two: the UAE one, plus your home country. Add a third for any other posting of six months or more.

The timing rules differ: the certificate for the country where you currently live must have been issued within the last six months. Certificates for other countries only need to be issued after the last time you lived there; those can be years old and that is fine (IRCC police certificates).

The UK TB test rule catches UAE residents out. The UAE is not on the TB testing list, but the test is based on where you have lived, not your nationality. If you lived in a listed country (Pakistan, India, Kenya, Nigeria and many others) within the last six months, you still need one. And there is no approved TB clinic anywhere in the UAE, so you would have to be tested in a country that has one. If you have been in Dubai for over six months, this does not apply to you (gov.uk TB test).

Your proof of funds gets examined over six months, not on the day. The bank letter IRCC asks for must show, for each account, the account number, the date it was opened, the current balance and the average balance over the past six months (IRCC proof of funds). That six-month average is the reason a large deposit landing last month does not simply solve the problem: it raises your current balance without raising the average, and you should expect to be able to explain where it came from. Borrowed money does not count, and neither does property equity.

Your employment letters need duties, not just a salary. Gulf HR departments typically issue a salary certificate: name, job title, joining date, salary. That covers the pay and the dates, but Canadian eligibility is assessed on whether your work matched the duties of an occupation classification. A letter without duties leaves the part that actually gets assessed unevidenced. Ask for duties in writing while you still work there.

Your degree is assessed where it was issued, not where you live. A Pakistani in Dubai still routes documents through Pakistan's Higher Education Commission. An Indian graduate follows India's process. Your UAE residence does not change this.

Biometrics. Canada: VFS Global in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. UK: VFS Global at Wafi Mall in Dubai and the World Trade Centre Mall in Abu Dhabi.