I got this email from Stars for anyone interested. This is what I sent them:

Okay, Does "without further delay" mean that I can cashout and will actually
get my money in a timely manner?

I will be moving to canada next month. Will I need to change my US address
to continue playing on your site even though I will be in Canada and will be
banking with a Canadian bank?

Thanks

This was their reply:

Hello xxxx,

Thank you for your email.

In order to review your request and as part of our security procedures, we ask you kindly to send us the following documents so that we can verify your details:

1. A clear copy of your driver's license (front and back), or other government issued photo ID;

2. A copy of a recent utility bill clearly showing your full name, new address and statement date (no older than 3 months). In lieu of a utility bill, we will accept a phone bill, bank statement, payslip or insurance bill which includes your full name, current address and statement date. Please note, we will not be able to accept personal letters or online statements.

If you have access to your PokerStars account we ask you to please log in and upload all requested documents via the client.

Please go to "Help > Contact Support / Upload Documents > Select Category > 'Security' > Sub-Category 'Documents'" and you will be able to upload documents with a size up to 5 MB.

If you are not able to log into your account please scan or make a digital photo of your ID (front and back) and send it to security@pokerstars.eu, or fax to:

PokerStars
Attn: Security
Fax: +44-1624-630899 (international)
Fax: 1-800-631-9050 (Canada toll free)
Fax: 00800-7653-7782 (UK & Italy)

Please ensure that if you are sending documentation via fax that you clearly write your User ID on every page.

Having said that, once you submit your cashout request, it will be reviewed within 72 business hours by our Security Department. After your cashout is approved for release, the funds should be reflected in your bank account within 3-10 business days.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best Regards,

Ben
PokerStars Security Team



I'm not sure if he was saying that I can withdraw only from out of country to a Canadian bank, or that we are now able to withdraw to our American banks. Has anyone had any success yet?

It's easy enpugh to open a bank account and use the bank statement (with your Canadian address on it) as your secondary ID. But unless they accept your current US government issued ID as being acceptable, you will need to obtain Canadian government issued ID which involves a fairly complicated procedure - you would have to obtain legal status as a permanent resident to get it. So you need to find out what they require regarding "A clear copy of your driver's license (front and back), or other government issued photo ID;
whether hey mean US or Canadian.


I have queried one of the smaller sites as to whether US id and Canadian proof of residence is acceptable, and am waiting for a response. I'll post results when I get the info.

Hope you'll do the same when you find out.

I just sent off the email asking. I'll post when I get the response.

^^^^ This is encouraging, please keep us updated.

I also just called and spoke with Royal Bank of Canada and asked about getting an account set up. It pretty much 99% on an American getting a checking account. Just bring in two forms of ID (passport and state issued drivers license) and you have an account. They don't do any type of background or credit checks for accounts that don't require loans (credit cards, accounts with overdraft protections, etc).

I didn't ask her about using it as a poker account, but considering poker is legal there it shouldn't be an issue thats it's what the account is intended for.

How easy is it to transfer money from your Canadian bank account to your US bank account?

Also, IffffNaaaG is a Canadian bank right? Easy as pie transferring money between your Canada account and your US account?

I see no difference with Stars change of address verification process from three years ago. Although I didn't try until I had an Australian driver license, I believe the address on both items of documentation will need to match. Otherwise it would be too easy to circumvent the intent of physical residency outside the U.S. I can confirm that uploading the images through the client application is how this was accomplished. Even if it takes awhile before Stars and FTP permit address changes again, you can use the time to prepare. Getting established or reestablished with Party should be less challenging.

Ugh, same story since friday, get a good bit of information with one KEY point being a bit cloudy, in this case the ID thing. I'm optimistic but if they require a canadian ID that could suck.

i play 10nl and i make $1000 amonth
im gonna move to canada to play for a living

LET THE US PASSPORT BE GOOD FOR GOVT ID ONE TIME!

This is exactly how it was, of course before 4/15. I got going again before IDs and even a physical bank account were essential. I had to open new accounts with some minor league sites I had never done business with initially of course. I could withdraw to Neteller, and move funds from one site to another without incurring a fee. After I had converted my driver license, I had Stars send me a paper check (about $185 AU for $150 US) to test this. The bank it was drawn on is not in the list of frozen processors from the indictment. You could potentially move winnings from Cake or Carbon to Neteller and then use Neteller to establish a new account with another site. Yes, I know this is no good if you're going to relocate to Canada. You won't get withdrawals directly from Neteller either, until you provide your foreign government issued ID and local phone number. It's far better than simply being able to deposit to a specific site, the immediate benefits should be obvious.

Really wish you had ignored me when I asked for help getting back to the states from Amsterdam Alobar...

I'm American and really wanted to immigrate to Holland a few years ago. I went to the Dutch immigration office in Amsterdam to find out what my options were.

1- Get a job. Not easy to do. First you need to find someone willing to hire you. For them to do so they need to prove they were not able to fill the position with an EU citizen. Unless you have a specialized skill, very few companies are going to be willing to go through the hastle of hiring someone outside the EU. If you are lucky enough to find a job, you can only work for them. Lose your job and you lose your work visa.

2- Marry an EU citizen. This is a perfect example of how awesome Dutch people are. I was talking to an official in the immigration office and he actually told me this was an option. When I told him I had not found a Dutch girl I wanted to marry, he told me they were pretty liberal and I could marry a guy also.

3- Holland has an economic agreement with the U.S. If you have a buisiness or $10,000 in capital to start a buisiness in Holland you can relocate relatively easy. I would say this is the most viable option for anyone who makes a significant amount playing poker. Not sure if it is possible/ legal but I'm sure a bunch of players could get the capital together to start a legit company with low overhead. One person could be the "owner" and a few people could work for them.

I have extensive retail management experience and would really appreciate consideration for a job. I'm a micro-donk, but I'm a pretty solid micro-donk and have the potential to move up. Perfectly willing to invest my $1300 bankroll towards this venture, may take me a little time to get to it though...

full tilt/stars should build a housing complex (or compound) in vancouver that to accomodate high volume american regs.

it could be like a grinders cult.

Say for example someone in the uk had a number of accounts set up from sports betting in family/friends names all with verified Id and online banking accounts (money bookers) and could easly set up accounts on ft/stars party poker etc would people be interested in having access to those accounts on a month bye month basis and if so what would be a fair price per month for this? This is all hypothetical of course.

I live and grind in the Czech Republic (I'm american). It's a beautiful country with beautiful girls, cheap beer, incredible culture, art, and architecture, and a lot of other good going for it. It's not as cheap as it once was, due to the dollar doing an epic collapse over the last five yrs or so, but it's still very reasonable (I live in a two bedroom apartment in one of the nicest areas of Prague right on the border of the center that runs me about 750 a month US including utilities). If anyone wants to know more about this area, I'd be happy to help. It's the first time in my life I've ever lived more than 2 consecutive years anywhere, (now running on ten yrs) so it definitely has something going for it.

Transfer from a Canadian bank to US are done the old fashioned way...You write a cheque from your Canadian account, and deposit it in your US account. You are also able to bank wire from one to other, at a cost of about 40-60 bucks depending on the banks (there will likely be charges at both ends).

What is your status there, and how did you obtain it? IE: Citizen, resident, extended visa.

Guys can I just say as a UK player who has enormous sympathy with the fact that zealous religious nutters can dictate your politics - best of luck with getting playing again.

I have been advocating for US players to pursue using foreign accounts for some time, and I am pleased to see some have successfully set them up. To me that was always the difficult part, but since Black Friday you have the problem of setting up foreign residency on the sites.
Could this be sorted out, by simply someone who has a Canadian pad to take a regular US lodger, to allow mail to be sent to this address in the lodgers name (they don't actually have to physically live there) in return for a small fee?

I am desperate and more than willing to pay for this service. Have $10K I want on Pokerstars and am willing to pay about 1K a month. Can you accept a wire transfer for 11K right now?

If you are considering a move to Canada, there is something you need to consider.

In Canada, there is a 'very' obscure and arcane Criminal Code section that makes it a criminal offence for a person to make a living solely from the proceeds of gambling. I don't think it has ever been enforced in recent decades, but it is still on the books as far as I know.

It is a broadly written law, and the easiest way around it, would be to have any kind of a part-time job or if you were a student, that would be your obvious occupation.

People like Negreanu and others can easily get around this because they have been paid representatives of poker sites, which they can then list as their primary job. (ie. endorsements).

The problem for 'average joe' is that when they get to the US/Cdn border, a border guard might deny them entry to Canada because the person's intent is to engage in what 'could be' construed as criminal behavior. Border guards as most of us now, can be the most assinine people in the world.

Just an FYI for people who might not have known about it...most Canadians aren't even aware of it.

So if you come here, a few things to remember. You can stay as a tourist for up to 180 days, or you could apply for a student visa somewhere (any program would do). Other types of immigration get trickier unless you have some kind of professional skill you can use here (doctor,nurse,tradesperson,etc..).

I can give you my old PS acc if you can send your money to my moneybookers acc from where I can deposit money to PS. I dont want to have problems with taxes if suddenly I receive such amount in my bank acc. But my moneybookers outgoing transaction limit Remaining is 7071.51 GBP, so max I could transfer you could be ~5k$ right now, but I can try sending copy of my passport to increase it.
And I think You would need Latvian proxy...
If thats ok, send me a mail to mrgs@inbox.lv , I think I still cant send PMs here.

To have "any kind of part-time job" means more than just visitor status, which doesn't permit this. If you obtain residency, it's probably moot because you can always register a consulting business. Easy to show someone paid you for a service this way; making part of your income non-poker if necessary.

True, but the part-time part was more aimed at Canadians who might be concerned about future events. Given everything that has happened in the past week, knowing your possible options here is only prudent, particularly in that we're in the middle of an election in Canada, with a Christian Conservative party that is trying to get a majority government.

idk if you are serious but i think that would be awesome haha

I was kidding about this. I wouldn't do it if someone I actually knew in real life offered the service for free.