Canada lifts visa requirement for Qatari citizens

Canada has lifted its visa requirement for citizens of Qatar, allowing Qatari travellers to visit the country without a temporary resident visa as of 5:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Canada has lifted its visa requirement for citizens of Qatar, allowing Qatari travellers to visit the country without a temporary resident visa as of 5:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced.

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said that the change will make travel “faster and easier” for eligible Qatari visitors, citing closer commercial and diplomatic ties between the two countries. The reform applies to an estimated 380,000 Qatari citizens, who represent roughly 11 to 12 per cent of Qatar’s population of about 3.1 million people.

The department said that visa-free travel will support business, investment, and tourism while maintaining Canada’s migration and security standards.

Qatari citizens who already hold valid Canadian visas may continue using them until they expire or their passports are no longer valid. Those without a visa must now apply online for an electronic travel authorization before travelling to Canada by air.

“Lifting visa requirements is an important step in our relationship with Qatar and makes it easier for eligible travellers to experience all that Canada has to offer,” Diab said in a statement. She added that the policy is expected to bring economic benefits “at home and abroad.”

Canada recorded about 9,000 visitors from Qatar in 2024, an 11.5 per cent increase from the previous year, while bilateral trade reached approximately $325 million.

The two countries, marking over 50 years of diplomatic relations, have expanded cooperation in fields including artificial intelligence, clean energy, agribusiness, and critical minerals.

Air services between Canada and Qatar have also grown since the Canada–Qatar Air Transport Agreement was expanded in late 2024, strengthening commercial partnerships and increasing travel between the two countries.

The announcement comes two months after Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned Israel’s airstrikes targeting Hamas leadership in Doha, calling the attack “an intolerable expansion” of violence and “an affront to Qatar’s sovereignty.” Carney said the strikes risked escalating wider regional conflict and undermining mediation efforts led by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar has hosted Hamas leadership in Doha since 2012, after the group was expelled from Syria during the Arab Spring. Ever since, Qatar has been the principal financial backer and foreign ally of Hamas.