Meera deported from Canada: actress refused entry at Niagara border, sent back to US

Meera deported from Canada is the story Pakistanis are searching for today: the Pakistani film actress Meera (Syeda Irtiza Rubab) was refused entry to Canada at the Niagara border crossing and sent back to the United States after several hours of questioning by Canadian immigration officers, Geo News reported on Saturday 10 October.

She had been travelling by road from New York to attend a show in Canada. Neither report gives the date of the crossing, and the Canadian authorities have not said why she was turned back.

What Meera said

Speaking to Geo News, Meera said: "I still do not know why I was deported from Canada." She said the officers "only asked me basic questions" and that she was trying to establish the facts. She added that she suspects "someone may have made a malicious complaint" against her. That is her own suspicion; no official has said so.

ProPakistani carried the same account on Sunday, adding that she was returned to the US after "hours of questioning".

Why she was in North America

Meera holds a US Green Card and travels to the United States regularly for work and family, both outlets said. She has visited Canada before: on an earlier trip she went to Calgary to promote her film Psycho and performed on stage there.

Not her first border problem

This is the second country to stop her at the border. In the United Kingdom she was earlier refused entry at Heathrow and given a 10-year entry ban, Geo News reported, citing documents it obtained. Her mother, Shafqat Zahra Bukhari, has said that incident came from a misunderstanding in the immigration interview, because Meera struggled with the questions in English. After the ban ran out, a fresh UK visa application was also refused; Geo News says the British authorities cited false representations, which it attributes to wrong information allegedly submitted by her travel agent.

Being refused entry: what it means for any traveller

Being "refused entry" at a land border is not the same as a court deportation order. In general:

• A valid visa or eTA does not guarantee entry. The officer at the border makes the final decision.
• You are usually sent back to the country you came from, which is what happened here: Meera came from New York and was returned there.
• Ask for the reason in writing. It helps with any future visa application, which will ask whether you were ever refused entry.

Travelling abroad for work or a show? Check the passport fee calculator before renewing, and the dollar rate in Pakistan today before you budget the trip.