Best reason to cross the canada border seeing a escort

[westwoody]

I'm not able to understand. How exactly did they figure out that you elicit with escorts when you visit canada?

Phone numbers of escorts in your phone. They ask how do you know this person?
They may have her real name on file along with her work name and work number.
How you answer will tell them if you know her as a friend or customer.
Even if you delete data, there is software that recovers deleted files. Eg pictures and video.

Large amounts of cash are instant red flags for both borders.
Border agents on both sides have much broader power of search and seizure and detention than police. It makes sense given their mandate.
Regardless of your rights, they will pretty much do whatever they want with your devices.
They know they cannot use certain things in court but they will still look.

Always remember the agent may have just finished dealing with ten assholes in a row. You might exactly match the profile of a guy they caught an hour ago with a bunch of contraband. Or you might be completely innocent but linked to a person of interest.
Never try to fool them or outsmart them, they deal with liars all day and can tell right away.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Phone numbers of escorts in your phone. They ask how do you know this person?
They may have her real name on file along with her work name and work number.
How you answer will tell them if you know her as a friend or customer.

If you do not keep this on your phone you don't have to worry about answering these questions.

 

[CaptRenault]

.. I go to this room where I am met by the same agent who had initially questioned me. This agent then questions me further on my job and then proceeds to go through all of my luggage and my laptop carrying case. The agent finds a significant amount of money that is less than the amount that I would need to have declared and questions me further about the reasons for my visit. At this point, I am asked to turn over my phone for search purposes..
...the agent seemingly confers with other agents about my case and appears to show them exchanges on my cell phone. I am, after an hour or so, ushered back by the agent who informs me that they know why I am really here based off my cell phone and that they will be denying my entry into Canada. Based off of this decision, they further inform me that I have two options...

...While I am putting all of my belongings back, I am asked further questions that I find to be extremely personal and borderline insulting but that I hesitantly answer after being threatened by the agent with having to instead answer to law enforcement....

Sorry to hear about your ordeal.

When you say that the agent told you that "they know why I am really here," did he explicitly say that they knew you were going to Montreal to meet escorts and pay for sex?

Also, what "further questions" that you describe as "extremely personal and borderline insulting" did he ask?

i don't understand how they could threaten to turn you over to law enforcement when you hadn't broken any laws. It's not against the law to exchange emails and text messages with an escort. It's not even illegal to meet an escort. It's just illegal to pay her for sex and up to that point you had not done so. I assume you were not stupid enough to discuss sex in your emails and messages .

i realize that border agents have almost absolute authority to deny entry to anyone but your description of what happened is hard to believe. Are you sure there is no DUI or marijuana possession charge in your background? That is a much more common reason to be denied entry to Canada (there are lots of mentions of cases like that on various Web sites). But who knows, you may have had the bad luck to run into an anti-prostitution zealot working as a border agent.

 

[Good Guy]

originally posted by Vlassisy
The story: I arrive at Billy Bishop in Toronto for a connecting flight to Trudeau in Montreal

I am curious as to why you would be connecting through the DT Toronto airport; did your flight originate in the States, and was that your only option for completing your trip to Montreal?

I have been coming to Canada off & on since 1999, and coming from the states, always either fly directly to my Canadian city of choice, or make a connecting flight in the US to my final destination.

The only times I have deviated from arriving all the way via plane was one trip to Montreal, and three trips to Vancouver. I would fly into the nearest US airport, and then take a coach bus into Canada. Unfortunately, on the last such trip to Vancouver, when the bus arrived to Canadian customs I was flagged for a secondary round of questions. Of course I was totally caught off-guard by this, and ended up having my luggage searched and my tablet taken for search; the device is passcode protected, and I don't think they bothered to try to access it, as the customs agent came back after a short time and did not inquire further about anything on the tablet. I no longer try to save money on trips in this manner, and have resumed flying the entire way to Canada.

And by the way, I visited Montreal in August, and again in October, originating in the states, and flying via connections in the US to Montreal. And this includes one trip to Vancouver, and four to Toronto, since 2013. No hassle, no questions about why I was returning so soon to Canada/Montreal. No record; no DUIs in my life.

 

[transatlantic]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal.

When you say that the agent told you that "they know why I am really here," did he explicitly say that they knew you were going to Montreal to meet escorts and pay for sex?

Also, what "further questions" that you describe as "extremely personal and borderline insulting" did he ask?

i don't understand how they could threaten to turn you over to law enforcement when you hadn't broken any laws. It's not against the law to exchange emails and text messages with an escort. It's not even illegal to meet an escort. It's just illegal to pay her for sex and up to that point you had not done so. I assume you were not stupid enough to discuss sex in your emails and messages .

i realize that border agents have almost absolute authority to deny entry to anyone but your description of what happened is hard to believe. Are you sure there is no DUI or marijuana possession charge in your background? That is a much more common reason to be denied entry to Canada (there are lots of mentions of cases like that on various Web sites). But who knows, you may have had the bad luck to run into an anti-prostitution zealot working as a border agent.

I don't think CBSA is turning over vlassisy to LE for prosecution. If he did not withdrawal application, the next step is an A44(1) report which results in him being detained until an admissibility hearing is held. He was probably inadmissible due to misrepresentation of intent for visit.

 

[vlassisy]

When you say that the agent told you that "they know why I am really here," did he explicitly say that they knew you were going to Montreal to meet escorts and pay for sex?

I am not sure if this is meant to be a catch-all pronoun, but I did not make reference to the sex of the agent in my original post because I thought it to be irrelevant. If it is, in fact, relevant, then it is important to disclose here that the agent was not male.

Also, what "further questions" that you describe as "extremely personal and borderline insulting" did he ask?

This is something that I would rather discuss through PM (something I will gladly do if you are interested).

i realize that border agents have almost absolute authority to deny entry to anyone but your description of what happened is hard to believe. Are you sure there is no DUI or marijuana possession charge in your background? That is a much more common reason to be denied entry to Canada (there are lots of mentions of cases like that on various Web sites). But who knows, you may have had the bad luck to run into an anti-prostitution zealot working as a border agent.

I have never been charged with either of the activities that you mention. I have been charged with driving with an expired license and with reckless driving, two activities that constitute misdemeanors in some American states (while the former does not count as a misdemeanor in my state, the second one does). I am not sure whether being a misdemeanant in this sense is grounds for denying entry into Canada, but my reckless driving charge was never mentioned to me by the border agent.

 

[vlassisy]

I am curious as to why you would be connecting through the DT Toronto airport; did your flight originate in the States, and was that your only option for completing your trip to Montreal?

My flight originated in the US. While this wasn't the only option, there was an 800 USD difference between the flight I chose and direct flights from my point of departure to Trudeau...had I know what would have occurred, I would have gladly paid this premium :lol:.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Did you end up eating the cost of 5 nights hotel & AirBnB? How did you explain your cancellation of those plans to hotel and host?

Now Canada has a record of you withdrawing your application to enter and you will be asked why you withdrew the application. I have been to Canada an estimated 100 times, always by car and never by air, and never once signed anything nor was I asked to do so, even when I was detained by customs.

 

[EagerBeaver]

ushered back by the agent who informs me that they know why I am really here based off my cell phone and that they will be denying my entry into Canada. .

BTW, I hope that this unprovable bullshit statement was challenged by you, because if it was met with silence, you meekly admitted that every single prior statement you made to Customs was a lie. I would have reiterated that the primary purpose of your trip was exactly what you previously stated and they have no way of refuting that, even if there are emails and texts on your phone with known escorts. You also have not told us what the emails and texts actually said - but provided there was just booking information exchanged, for all they know you had arranged a platonic date. There are people who book escorts for social time only (there are other threads about this) and there is nothing illegal in doing so. You could have said that you wanted a date to visit those exhibits with. They would be unable to refute this intention unless you included salacious details in your emails and texts (like "oh baby, I can't wait to get my dick in your mouth"), which in the ordinary course would be unprofessional and inappropriate (not to mention dumb).

It sounds to me like you went down without a fight, which is disappointing, but you are young and probably do not have much experience thinking on your feet in difficult situations. Hopefully by posting this others will learn from your misfortune. I always clean my phone and have pre-rehearsed a dialogue to explain my trip and I stick to it because they cannot refute it and do not omnisciently "know" what I am going to do. Only you know what your real trip agenda is and it's all in your head, not theirs. The phone should not provide any solid evidence of money being exchanged for sex, if it does, then you have to expect that what could go down is exactly what happened to you.

 

[Zumba]

I'm curios about customs in Canada. Every time I fly there I actually clear customs at the U.S. Airport I leave from. There is an arrangement between U.S. and Canada. Why did you not clear Canadian Customs while still in the U.S. ?

 

[jalimon]

I'm curios about customs in Canada. Every time I fly there I actually clear customs at the U.S. Airport I leave from. There is an arrangement between U.S. and Canada. Why did you not clear Canadian Customs while still in the U.S. ?

As far as I know this is only possible from a few airport in the US.

I travel within america a lot. One golden rule now when I travel back from the US is to NEVER EVER NEVER come here via Toronto. Don't get me wrong I love the city of Toronto, I love everything about Toronto except their custom where, even if I am canadian, I had problem EACH time I stopped there on my way back to Montreal.

Come here via any other city in the US but avoid Toronto at ALL cost would be my advice.

Cheers,

 

[gll]

i must admit that i never even considered "cleansing" my phone and laptop before crossing into canada- this is very useful information and i will do that in the future. i try to be pleasant, cooperative and have a line that i stick to and never had a problem. i always get asked whether i am meeting with anyone and even though i usually meet a friend for lunch, i always say no- i assume that if i say yes this will lead to another series of questions.

 

[EagerBeaver]

i always get asked whether i am meeting with anyone and even though i usually meet a friend for lunch, i always say no- i assume that if i say yes this will lead to another series of questions.

I have also gotten this question on virtually 100% of my trips to Canada and give the same response. I however like to play with the Customs agents and I say "no, but I would like to." If they ask I say that I intend to go out to some bars and like meeting new people and making new friends. Again, these are true and completely normal statements because all of us go out to bars and talk to people, it's very normal social behavior for any person on any trip.

I always memorize local and national TV sports schedules because most of the Customs agents are young and the males all know hockey. So I will describe what games I will catch on TV, in case they ask. If you can anticipate certain questions and have answers ready, I find that they will let you go rather quickly. You sound like you have your trip agenda all planned and they don't bother with you.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

If you are under 21 would an easy out be that you want to drink in a pub and that your dollar will go a long way? If over 21 just use the dollar will get me a nice mini holiday cheap.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Sol,

Discussing drinking activities will almost certainly invite a question about DUI arrests and a DUI arrest is grounds to deny entry to Canada absent payment of a waiver from the Canadian consulate. I know some people who were denied because they admitted a DUI arrest and in fact when I came up with my 3 friends we left a 4th behind because he had a DUI. We gave him the option to come up in his own car but he didn't want to roll the dice.

The reason why Canada Customs asks the question in the first place is too many 18 year old college kids coming up from Plattsburgh and Burlington, which are both college towns (PSU and UVM), getting tanked and causing accidents.

If you get detained by Canada Customs randomly or unrandomly, it's almost 100% the DUI question will be asked. One time after I denied the question 3 times I was told he better not look into his database and find out I am lying. If he found an arrest entry would have been denied.

 

[transatlantic]

I'm curios about customs in Canada. Every time I fly there I actually clear customs at the U.S. Airport I leave from. There is an arrangement between U.S. and Canada. Why did you not clear Canadian Customs while still in the U.S. ?

You do not clear Canadian immigration/customs in US. While preclearance agreement between the two countries allow for Canada to setup pre-clearance in US, Canada has not exercise that option.

For those who travel across the border often, just enroll in NEXUS and avoid the twenty questions altogether. In addition to that, it also saves time. Twice during last summer, my afternoon flight back to US were cancelled due to thunderstorms which involves spending an extra night in Montreal (...the horror of being stuck an extra day...lol). As summer is peak, the immigration hall to re-enter Canada in the late afternoon was packed to the point where they were holding people in the corridor above the down escalators leading to the immigration hall. NEXUS lanes had no wait. It took longer for me to fill out a E311 form than to clear immigration.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I have never flown into Canada, but when you reach the border agent driving from VT you are physically in Canada. You know this because if you look at your cellphone and you have roaming on it says Rogers and not AT&T. Rogers doesn't provide cellular service in the USA. Of course I get free roaming which is why I keep it on. Once I am in the line, I am in Canada. If they don't let me in, I would technically be sent back but when you hit that station at I-89 crossing from Vermont, you are in Canada. Only question then is whether they let you stay in or send you home like vlasissy.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

EB

Of course you would not mention drinking if you have a DUI, my comment was to people that have no record. Personally I have a few criminal records but somehow manage to get US entry, not sure why but even after swiping my passport I get let through. When I do go the the US when asked what is the purpose of my visit I say to visit a neice and used car parts which are both true most of the time. When both my kids were younger I took them to a 6 flags tour through the NE states, pretty sure the border guard found something against me by the way he reacted after checking my ID but think that due to my kids and saying we were on a 6 flags holiday he let us in.

 

[arthur_vandelay]

Also curious, has anyone with NEXUS been stopped for screening at YUL? I'm assuming there is some miniscule chance you could be randomly selected.

Still wondering if anyone with NEXUS has been pulled aside for screening at YUL? I've probably been through a dozen times with NEXUS and, knock on wood, always go straight through. But I assume there is some chance you could be randomly selected.

I think vlassisy's situation was due to a combination of being unlucky and appearing a little weak-kneed under questioning. These immigration officers have a very tedious job and some are looking for any excuse to get in somebody's business. I've had a bad experience going through Toronto too.

I almost got caught in a white lie once at YUL, but stuck to my story and got through fine. It is a bit stressful being interrogated by a uniformed officer from another country, with the potential of being banned from Canada. I applied for NEXUS the next day lol.

 

[EastRL0000]

I agree you just got to .... be firm ... I'm from nyc but I like to travel . Don't get caugt in a complex lie