I think the main advantage is that you don't need to book an appointment with the embassy, travel to Ottawa, etc. And I had no luck figuring out how to apply directly to the embassy by mail. I had started the process with Visa Central. It was going to cost a total of $300 which included the $150 visa from the embassy and the courier to have the passport returned. It did not include the shipping for me to send my passport to them. I cancelled the process after figuring out how to apply for the e-visa before the Oct. 1 deadline.
I followed the instructions I found in this thread for mailing in. I mailed to the embassy in Ottawa (ExpressPost) on Sept 8 and received my passport with visa on Sept 20 (in a prepaid ExpressPost envelope I had included with my application). My application included my passport, a filled-out form, and two passport photos (one stamped and dated) plus the fee ($150).
Beware Canadians Travelling to Egypt - New Process for Visa
in Canadian Cruisers
Posted · Edited by kuzco-like
I followed the instructions I found in this thread for mailing in. I mailed to the embassy in Ottawa (ExpressPost) on Sept 8 and received my passport with visa on Sept 20 (in a prepaid ExpressPost envelope I had included with my application). My application included my passport, a filled-out form, and two passport photos (one stamped and dated) plus the fee ($150).