I used to be an escort in America and I loved it! But I got busted.... And I really don't want to work in one of those trashy legal brothels in Nevada. I know prostitution is legal in Canada as long as it's outcall only but what are the laws regarding Americans doing it? I'm quite sure there are no work visas for this type of thing. What are the chances of getting in trouble for it and what kind of trouble could I get into?

Also there is the question of money. Let's say I spend the summer in Canada and make a lot of money. What do I do? Put $20,000 in my purse and drive over the border? And should I exchange the Canadian dollars to American dollars in America or in Canada?

-- Modified on 10/28/2011 8:26:15 PM

Discussion board.  I don't know the answer to your specific question, however, generally speaking, when you are in another country, whatever the laws are for citizens of the country apply to visitors as well.  For example, in Mexico the drinking age is 18 - when an American citizen goes to Mexico - the drinking age is 18, not 21 like it is in the U.S.  If it's legal work, I don't know why they wouldn't issue a work permit or work visa, but I would venture to guess that most women that go to Canada to work don't bother to get one.  

As far as the money - if you get stopped and searched at the boarder and you've got that kind of money, you better be prepared to answer some questions.  Also, it's normally the lies about stuff like that that gets people into trouble.  I had my bag searched one time at the airport and it had quite a bit of cash in it and TSA asked me why I was carrying so much cash - I showed them my boarding pass and said - Hey I'm on my way to Vegas - nuff said.  

Good Luck!!!

Canada has a policy of prohibiting anyone with ANY criminal conviction - including DUI - from entering the country.  If the conviction is more than 5 year old, you can apply for a 'rehabilitation' waiver, but it's not guaranteed.

Generally speaking, Americans don't need Visas to enter Canada, but the border guards are very thorough in their questioning, and they OFTEN run background checks.  You MAY be able to enter if the border guard decides not to run a background check on you, but eventually one will run one, and then you will be permanently denied access to the entire country.

And yea, no way the Americans are gonna allow you to re-enter with $20,000 cash (or any amount over $10,000).  IF you discover that you can legally enter Canada, your best bet is to open a bank account with branches in both countries - RBC, or TD, for example.

Look into the laws - Canada is stricter than Europe and most other countries with regard allowing visitors.  

Seriously - I know what I'm talking about here.  You have a lot more research to do before you hit the road or buy your airline ticket.

I've had the conviction expunged, will that make a difference? And if I cross the border with less than $10,000 what kinds of explanations sound legit?

You may not have as big a problem in the USA as you think you have. You should be able to continue working and avoid more problems. You have to smarten up. No one will tell you how in an open forum. Get a VIP account so that members that want to can PM you.

Last I knew, Canada was requiring a passport. I don't know whether a criminal record would prevent a person from getting a passport if that person doesn not already have one.

You can carry as much cash anywhere you want.  The only requirement is that you must report more than $10,000 entering or leaving the US.  You do this on this form:  http://www.fincen.gov/forms/files/fin105_cmir.pdf.

You can carry as much cash as you want while inside the US.  The TSA has no right to question you on a domestic flight.

I would be concerned about implications of working in Canada without an equivalent of a green card.  They frown on that as much as we do.  I would consider contacting one or more of the fine Canadian ladies who advertise and/or post here on TER.

I've partaken of some Canadian ladies through outcall while in Canada and my experiences have been anywhere from completely satisfying to mind-blowing.  There is no stress either way because outcall is legal.

I hope it all works out for you.

Spend some time learning about how to avoid getting busted in the US. It's not rocket science. An ounce of common sense and time spent checking references etc. will go a long way. Forget about Canada.

It's not laws that matter, but people. And people in the US and Canada are almost the same

Agreed.  I have a friend who is an exotic dancer, lives in Toronto and works in the New England area when she dances.  Several years ago she was refused entry into the US after they went through her luggage and found a large amount of cash and a ledger book listing dates and amounts.  They assumed she was a prostitute and turned her away.

This was before a passport became a requirement for entry into the US.  I imagine it's only gotten more strict since then.

but I have to confess, your experiences mirror.

The only suggestion I might add about carrying cash and having an explanation for it is to use casino gambling as an excuse. Even then they may grill you for what seems like forever, but it is a valid reason for carrying cash and almost impossible to disprove.

I have no idea why the Canadian border is such a bitch to cross, but it is the toughest country to enter or leave in our hemisphere bar none, I have had an easier time leaving Bogota Colombia still dead drunk from the night before than I do a routing business trip to Canada.

One other word of advice about Canada, NEVER admit traveling there on business if there is anyway to explain your presence there for any other reason. My first post 9-11 visit to Toronto on business was marred by spending well over an hour explaining to a clueless woman why one oil company would want to have a meeting with another company in the same business. Since then, I always claim to either be fishing, or gambling. Of course this only works for short trips, it would be hard to explain a 90 day trip that way. lol

and yes, I only WISH that you were raising unnecessary concerns, traveling to Canada can be a bitch. They take their jobs very, very seriously.

my guess is that it will not, but I really don't know.  At the very least you should run a comprehensive background check on yourself to see what comes up.  I promise you - it is very likely that they will ask if you've ever been arrested.  The last time I was there (in September) not only did they ask if I've ever been arrested and/or convicted (no, I haven't), they also asked if I've ever even been accused of anything.  Both the Canadians and the Americans searched me and my car at the border; if I had significantly more money entering America than I did entering Canada, it would have raised LOTS of red flags at the American border.  The Americans and Canadians share a computer database, and they can see everything that is recorded at each border crossing.  And yes, the previous poster is correct - it's not illegal to carry more than $10,000 cash if you declare it, but I promise you - if they suspect that the money was obtained illegally, you will be detained and questioned for HOURS, at the very least, and you better have a pretty good explanation as to where the money came from if you expect to be let go.  It is a very scary experience, and just because you technically *should be able to* carry the money, doesn't mean you *should* carry the money.  Hell, technically, as an American citizen, you don't *have* to answer the American border guards questions (5th Amendment applies), but if you ever hope to travel outside the country again (ie, if you hope not to be flagged in the computer system), it's a good idea to play nice with them.

When you cross the border, you need to be prepared to tell the border guards why you're going, where you'll be staying and how long you'll be staying. They want to have a reasonable amount of evidence that you'll leave when you say you will (do you have a job, home and/or family in the US? or do you have a round trip airline ticket, for example), and you need evidence that you have enough money to support yourself while you're there (and obviously you will NOT be able to claim that you will make money as you go).  A very general rule of thumb is that they like to see is $300 per day of visitation, unless you have evidence that someone else (family, friend or business) is going to provide room and board for you; in that case, you still have to prove you have access to funds, but you don't need as much.  In the past, I have had to show them my cash on hand, and if you don't have cash, they sometimes ask for proof of bank balances and/or credit limits.  I also carry a notarized "letter of invitation" from a Canadian citizen which states that my room and board is covered while I'm there.

The guards have an enormous amount of discretion in deciding who to allow in, and they can deny you based on nothing more than their "gut feeling" that something is not on the up and up.  You will have a hard time getting in if you just go and say you want to travel around the country with no real itinerary and no proof that you're able to support yourself during that time.

And in response to one of the other answers to your question:  just because you have a passport does not mean you're eligible to enter.  Your passport is issued by the US government; the Canadians decide their own rules for themselves.  

Do google searches on other American's issues entering Canada, and you will be amazed at what you find.  People with pot busts from the 1970s have been turned away at the border in the 2000s.  Until 2001 Americans were able to enter Canada with little more than a wave to the border guards, and we got used to it.  9-11 changed everything.  Technically the Canadian rules haven't changed - even before 9-11, Americans with criminal convictions were not SUPPOSED to be able to enter, but they never bothered to actually check and enforce the rules.  But now the technology makes it incredibly easy to check you out, and they do.

Again it is *possible* that you will have none of these problems, depending on the border guard you get.  And I'm sure there are people reading this who will tell you that I'm raising unnecessary concerns just because they didn't have any issues; however, if it's been more than 3 years since they traveled there, their experience is irrelevant due to upgrades in the computer system used by both countries - it is much easier for the border guards to check you out now than it used to be.  And in recent years, they have significantly stepped up their enforcement of the rules, and you definitely need to be prepared.  

You can still get into Canada with just a birth certificate and drivers license, you just can't get home.  lol.

And the US government will issue a passport to people with minor past criminal convictions, but just because you have a passport does not mean that the country you're going to has to let you in.

let's say I'm a single female with no document-able job (which I assume is the case of the OP) or other source of income.  When I show up at the American border with $20,000, and I only had $3,000 when I left the country, I can promise you, the border guards will start asking questions, and they won't stop, and you won't be set free, until they have their answers.  And yes, they check.

If your record was expunged (presumeably after staying out of trouble for some period of time) you need to see if you are legally allowed to answer NO to the convictions Q.  You also need to find out about the arrest Q.  I appaud you for doing what you can to get this cleaned up.  You can not afford to answer these questions wrong.  I might even get the answers in writing from an authority...  in case it should crop up & then they press you for false answers.   I think I'd arrange a cross border bank account, you can access from either side.  
Why not take a couple of month vaca in Canada?    

There are no guarentees re: US Law Enforcement but there are best practices which minimize the risk.  They are not topics for a public forum but ever provider should be aware.
H