Sounds good; we are here for you.

The main goal of the Poker Refugees service is to save players time, money and frustration and get them playing online poker again as soon as possible!

Hello,

How much would it cost a move to Malta ? Is a bank account mandatory? We wont be fine with moneybookers ?

Thanks in advance,

Hi Ferdinand

If you drop us a line at info@pokerrefugees.com we can set up a call with you to go over costs and banking.

Thanks


Nicki

Very detailed testimonial from a client who moved to Whistler, Canada, for anyone interested in moving to Canada.

^Kristin


"Total relocation was much easier than I thought it would be. *I didn't have to do much but tell Refugees what I was looking for and where, and they took care of the rest. *Total time was ~3 weeks [from hiring them] to being up and running on Stars/FTP/Party again, but time from arrival to grinding was <3 days..very happy with that timeframe. They had all documents for reinstatement the right size/format so the sites would accept them ASAP. *

Moneybookers was set up np within a half hour and address verified quickly to increase initial limits..deposited on Stars the same day my account was reactivated. *

I drove across the border, south of Vancouver, on my way to Whistler for the winter and didn't have any problems at all. *It being my first trip to Canada (from Colorado) the border agents asked standard questions like what the nature of my travel was & how long I'd be in Canada, what I do for a living (told them I'm a poker player, no problems at all), then asked basic "are you a terrorist/child molester/drugs or weapons dealer" questions, asked about my tattoos (to make sure of no gang signs etc) & searched my truck for 10-15mins since I'm staying so long then sent me on my way. *I had a few bags of clothes, ski gear etc in the bed, a desktop w/ 2 monitors & a laptop. *In and out in <30 mins. I will be driving back across for the holidays and don't anticipate any issues on returning.

Since I can only stay for 6 mos, I'm pumped that Kristin & PR can help get me set up in Mexico or wherever next summer for much cheaper than the original relocation to Canada. *PR is totally worth it IMO; you can concentrate on getting organized to move and they handle the other stuff. *Basecamp [their project management system] is the nuts and very useful. *Really seamless and very much recommended.

FTP even refunded me FTPs for a $2k bonus I bought the day before BF and only cleared $200 of w000t. They gave me Diamond status w/ a grace period too since I was a 5k/day Black Card member. Party's 1st-time deposit bonus wouldn't work but they gave me a $100 deposit bonus for having an inactive account for so long (since 2006 when they left)..they called me and did it over the phone..sick imo.

Whistler is awesome. It's a ski town so people are from all over and great so far. I'm w/in a 10min walk to the gondy in Creekside, and from what I've heard I scored getting a place here as opposed to in the village..much quieter here but close enough to get crazy if I want. Really the only downside is how effing expensive this place is. I mean food at the store is 2x what it is in the States..so be prepared for that if you come here."

From GoldnEagl on PokerStars/Goldy3311 on FTP

Poker Refugees,
I believe in canada a US player can stay up to 6 months out of 12 months
How about in Costa Rica?
Is it easy to get an ID card or driver license?
How hard is it to get permanent residency card?

Hi Muddy7

You are correct about Canada. Costa Rica you can stay 3 months and then leave for a few hours to renew your visa for another 3 months. You cannot get and ID card or drivers license unless you are a resident here, this process can take a few months and requires certain documentation for application.

You can email us to set up a call at info@pokerrefugees.com and we can go over this in detail.

Happy New Year!

Hey PR, just FYI I had a drivers license for years in CR without residency. I had an inside shot to the "DMV" in Uruca because of someone I worked with having an uncle there, but I think that really just got me to the front of the line both times I went. It should be doable.

However, a license is totally unnecessary for people on a tourist visa. From my understanding, using your US license is entirely acceptable there for driving.

Hi Adam

The law was changed this year regarding having to have residency to have a license. You can read this here: http://amcostaricaarchives.com/2012/...s-many-expats/

Should have known you'd be on top of all that Just figured I'd weigh in. Does having a license matter?

I was told when I first came here that you needed a CR license if your were here longer than 3 months. But there seems to be nothing official available to confirm that.

What are your thoughts on Asia? Extremely cheap and beautiful. Can live like a king. How is the infrastructure?

Also, If I want to move somewhere beautiful and cheap base in order to be able to play online poker anywhere, where would you recommend? In California at the moment but would like to travel constantly and play to cover my costs.. I was thinking Asia.

Thanks Kristin

What is the volume of players difference before black Friday and now?
Are the games a lot tougher?

Technically, use of your US license expires if your tourist visa stamp expires and you remain in the country. So if you renew your passport stamp every 90 or however many days immigration gives you, you can use your US license as well. Hope this helps!

^Kristin

Word on the street is that the games are definitely tougher. On PokerStars at any given moment however, there are still 200k or so players online. I'm not sure how many there were pre-BF

When living outside of the US, you can also play on a host of other sites. Many of our players like to do weekend tournaments on smaller sites or bum hunt on various skins.

^K

I am trying to find a place for a friend who is relocating from the US to Canada. The issue we keep running into is that they want to do a credit check, and cannot or will not do a US credit check. How do you get around this problem?

My question was answered by PM on FB, thank you for being so helpful!

You're welcome!

Hi I am trying to get the basic info on how to relocate to Vancouver bc. My family resides in Wa state and this would be the best option for me since its close to home. I have been a us citizen my whole life and am a novice on this.

Hi there, Vancouver is definitely the favorite of all the destinations we've moved players to.

We can completely empathize with the overwhelming feeling of going abroad for the first time. The service was actually created because I myself had a lot of experience traveling to and living in different countries over the past 10 years, then I worked in real estate in Central America for 6.5 years before Black Friday came around, helping international investors and retirees from the US and Europe. I knew that poker players would want to move to keep playing, but also knew that moving to a new country is challenging with a steep learning curve - for anyone, especially people who are getting a passport or going offshore for the first time. Mistakes are costly and inevitable while adjusting to a new country, so I had the idea to help players avoid all the mistakes I made in 10 years of living abroad.

To further familiarize you with the Poker Refugees relocation service, it was specifically designed for online poker players, and includes everything a poker player or online sports bettor needs to relocate quickly and stress-free. We do as much for you as we can so you don't have to worry about it. The majority of our planning happens before you move, so everything is pre-set up before you arrive. We aim for all players to be settled and playing poker on Day 1 of the move.

I can answer all your questions here, or on email at info@pokerrefugees.com, or you can set up a phone call with us here to talk it out: https://www.timetrade.com/book/Z96PN

Look forward to helping you!

^Kristin

Hi Kristin,

Just curious about what people typically do after their tourist visa expires. I'm sure some move to new countries and some probably come home. Are there countries where you can stay for longer periods of time?

I'm giving a lot of thought to relocating but probably wouldn't want to do it just for 6 months or to have to keep bouncing around to new countries.

Thanks!
Jon

Hi Jon,

There are a few options when a tourist visa expires:
1) In some countries you can exit and re-enter the same day to renew the visa (examples: Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama)

2) In some countries you can get up to 6 months, so sometimes there is no need to renew or extend if you are there <6 months (examples: Mexico, Canada)

3) In other countries the visa term may be only 3 months and then you have to exit for another 3 months or apply for an extension or temporary residence permit. In those cases, players usually just do 3 months in 1 country and 3 in another nearby country (examples: Malta, Hungary - for US citizens - EU citizens can stay in)

4) Finally, an option in a country such as Canada or Australia: once you have stayed 6 months, you can apply for an extension but this is not guaranteed.

5) The Caribbean is more complicated, for example, because the standard visa is 1 month so you'd have to keep applying for extensions and this can complicate rental contracts if you sign anything over 1 month and don't get approved for a renewal

For the most part, as a general rule poker players like to move places that are tourist-friendly or friendly to the western world because they are generally safe and have good infrastructure/amenities. Such countries usually have flexible immigration rules that encourage tourism and 3-6 month automatic visas.

It's also fun try out a new country ever 3-6 months and decide which place you like the best! Some guys move even more frequently, while others have already been in Costa Rica almost 2 years, for example. This is called being a "perpetual tourist" where you keep re-entering and renewing the same visa.

Hope this helps!

Kristin

Hi everyone,

We have a player going to Toronto for the month of May who needs a roommate before WSOP - anyone interested? Please PM.

Kristin

Hey Kristen,

Ive talked with you recently on facebook, a lot of people seem concerned with what to say at border, and there have been a couple recent denials into Canada due to Vagrancy Laws. Do you guys advice on that sort of info, or mainly just setting people up? Thanks!

Hello,

None of our clients since Black Friday have ever been denied at the border, although I am familiar with other players' stories on the contrary. While we are not allowed to give immigration advice since we are not licensed for that in Canada, we do have good relationships with immigration attorneys in Canada who have provided some basic info for our clients.

The best advice I think anyone can give is to always tell the truth to officials. For the most part, US citizens and other western nations are exempt from visa requirements as it appears on their official website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp

There you can find all official Canadian immigration info.

Crossing the border: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index-int.asp

Hi everyone,

We are getting a lot of requests for rentals and places to play SCOOP at the moment; let us know if you want help getting settled anywhere worldwide!

Kristin