Canada raises travel advisories for UAE & Jordan as tensions escalate

The Canadian government is advising citizens to "avoid non-essential travel" to five Middle Eastern countries as renewed conflict between the United States and Iran fuels security concerns across the region.

Effective immediately, Global Affairs Canada has, collectively, placed Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia under Orange (Level 3) advisories due to what it describes as a “volatile security situation.”

The change comes roughly three weeks after Ottawa eased its advisories for Jordan and the UAE as regional tensions appeared to subside.

As previously reported on June 26, Global Affairs Canada lowered both countries to Yellow (Level 2), advising Canadians to exercise a high degree of caution.

Earlier in the war, Jordan had been placed under an Orange advisory, while the UAE’s warning had been raised as high as Red (Level 4), advising against all travel.

However, the advisories were heightened again Friday night (July 17) amid a renewed escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran, primarily centred on control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military said Friday that it had conducted a seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran since President Donald Trump declared that a temporary ceasefire agreement was “over,” reports the BBC.

The latest hostilities have once again raised concerns about security, commercial shipping and air travel throughout the region.

Canada now advises travellers to avoid non-essential travel to the UAE due to regional volatility.

The same overall risk level applies to Jordan, although Canadians are advised to avoid all travel within five kilometres of the country’s borders with Iraq and Syria, except for the tourist site of Umm Qais.

The heightened advisory for Jordan could affect the operations of tour operators such as G Adventures, Intrepid Travel and Exodus Adventure Travels, which, in recent weeks, had all announced plans to return to the ancient destination.

As of early Saturday morning (July 18), the tour operators had not posted updates indicating whether the latest Canadian advisory would affect their upcoming departures.

PAX will provide updates as they become available.

Emirates currently connects Canada and Dubai, in the UAE, with daily flights from Toronto and Montreal.

Air Canada, meanwhile, recently extended the suspension of its Dubai (and Tel Aviv) flights until October 24, 2026.

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