Canada-side NEXUS Interview Updates?

[lx200gps]

Would anyone have any info on when/whether the NEXUS interviews will start up here in Canada? I assume it's just "wait and see".   My latest NEXUS card expired in August 2020, I wasn't lucky enough to get an automatic 5 year renewal as some others have,  and I'm nearing the end of the 24 month grace period. I didn't bother scheduling my interview on the US side to avoid the cross-border issues, as I naively assumed that the Canadian interviews would open up soon, and we're a few miles form the big center at Montreal airport, where I've been interviewed before. As at today, there are no interviews available anywhere within driving distance of here on either side of the border, so I was wondering if anyone had read of possible interview restarts here in the Great White North..

[Fouremco]

There's is amazingly little available information on this issue, and the little bit that is available I find troubling. This is a joint US-Canada program, but it appears that we are waiting for US approval to restart our interviews, even though they reopened their interview centres on April 19. CBSA made this public announcement on April 4, 2022:

 

NEXUS and FAST programs are jointly administered by Canada and the US. Canada and the US are in discussions about the timing of the reopening of Canadian enrolment centres. Until that time, enrolment centres in Canada will continue to be closed.

 

It's beyond me why there is any need to discuss our reopening date with the US. 

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Fouremco

[cdn_tbird]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There's is amazingly little available information on this issue, and the little bit that is available I find troubling. This is a joint US-Canada program, but it appears that we are waiting for US approval to restart our interviews, even though they reopened their interview centres on April 19. CBSA made this public announcement on April 4, 2022:

 

NEXUS and FAST programs are jointly administered by Canada and the US. Canada and the US are in discussions about the timing of the reopening of Canadian enrolment centres. Until that time, enrolment centres in Canada will continue to be closed.

 

It's beyond me why there is any need to discuss our reopening date with the US. 

 

 

 

I could be wrong, but I would think that the discussions are around when the US will be increasing the number of US agents stationed in Canada so that some can be assigned to the centres for interviews.

[daisy-mae]

10 minutes ago, cdn_tbird said:

I could be wrong, but I would think that the discussions are around when the US will be increasing the number of US agents stationed in Canada so that some can be assigned to the centres for interviews.

So if the US centres are open, then Canada must have already assigned agents there?

[Fouremco]

13 minutes ago, cdn_tbird said:

I could be wrong, but I would think that the discussions are around when the US will be increasing the number of US agents stationed in Canada so that some can be assigned to the centres for interviews.

 

1 minute ago, daisy-mae said:

So if the US centres are open, then Canada must have already assigned agents there?

I agree that it may well be a question of available US resources. In which case, rather than this very one-sided approach, maybe the GOC should have held out for a proportional restart. I don't know the actual numbers off the top of my head, but if the US had gone to 75% on their restart and stationed the remaining 25% of their resources to Canada, perhaps we too would have been able to open at 75%.

 

[son3cruisers]

7 hours ago, lx200gps said:

Would anyone have any info on when/whether the NEXUS interviews will start up here in Canada? I assume it's just "wait and see".   My latest NEXUS card expired in August 2020, I wasn't lucky enough to get an automatic 5 year renewal as some others have,  and I'm nearing the end of the 24 month grace period. I didn't bother scheduling my interview on the US side to avoid the cross-border issues, as I naively assumed that the Canadian interviews would open up soon, and we're a few miles form the big center at Montreal airport, where I've been interviewed before. As at today, there are no interviews available anywhere within driving distance of here on either side of the border, so I was wondering if anyone had read of possible interview restarts here in the Great White North..

When interviews opened up in the US, they filled up quickly on the border towns . We kept checking, and more opened up randomly , I'm assuming cancelations. We were able to get the first weekend in June in Niagara. Keep checking, you just might get lucky.

[Tango99]

3 hours ago, cdn_tbird said:

I could be wrong, but I would think that the discussions are around when the US will be increasing the number of US agents stationed in Canada so that some can be assigned to the centres for interviews.

That’s a valid point. The US also relies on their Global Entry Portal to fast track pre-approved arrivals from other countries besides Canada.  And then there’s the issue of agents to interview in designated offices at international airports. We only have 4 of them operating such in Canada. 

[Fouremco]

16 minutes ago, Tango99 said:

And then there’s the issue of agents to interview in designated offices at international airports. We only have 4 of them operating such in Canada. 

Which begs the question as to why, as they already have a team of CBP employees at each of these airports for the preclearance program, they couldn't have added a body or two for the NEXUS interview program at these airports.

[cdn_tbird]

14 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Which begs the question as to why, as they already have a team of CBP employees at each of these airports for the preclearance program, they couldn't have added a body or two for the NEXUS interview program at these airports.

Not a political rant because I believe it's the same attitude regardless of which political party is in power. The Americans simply don't see any value in restarting the NEXUS interviews in Canada for themselves. The lack of a NEXUS pass won't stop those of us that are planning a trip to the US. It's just a bit more of a PITA.

Edited May 16, 2022 by cdn_tbird

[*Miss G*]

I’m having difficulty buying into the theory that the problem lies with the US side when it’s the Enrollment Centres on the Canadian side which aren’t open.

[Fouremco]

53 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I’m having difficulty buying into the theory that the problem lies with the US side when it’s the Enrollment Centres on the Canadian side which aren’t open.

As I said in post #2, there is very little available information on why our centres remain closed, so it's difficult to know with any certainty where the problem lies. Consequently, the thread is quite speculative in nature, and you could be quite right, maybe the US is prepared to deploy the required CBP resources to Canada but the GOC is saying "No, we want to keep the Enrolment Centres closed."

 

If so, the question I have to ask is "What is/are Canada's reason(s) for keeping the centres closed?"    

 

  

[dawnvip]

I can take a guess - the GOC restrictions for employees within government spaces are still in place.

 

There are limits on number of people within any government space due to covid (just look at the massive line ups for passport interviews), so in-person interviews would require 1) opening the space 2) determining "safe" number of employees and clients within the space at any given time and 3) identify/post number of interviews available. Not sure how the US agents would fit into the mix.

 

Similar to the passport office, they would also likely have to hire security. 

[daisy-mae]

2 hours ago, dawnvip said:

 

 

Similar to the passport office, they would also likely have to hire security. 

Why the need for security?

Since the interviews are by appointment, it is unlikely that a large number of clients would arrive at the same time. When we went for our original interview a number of years ago my husband and I were the only two people in the office, along with one Canadian and one US agent.

[lx200gps]

15 hours ago, son3cruisers said:

When interviews opened up in the US, they filled up quickly on the border towns . We kept checking, and more opened up randomly , I'm assuming cancelations. We were able to get the first weekend in June in Niagara. Keep checking, you just might get lucky.

Thanks, yes, I'm checking daily now but nothing remotely useful has shown up for weeks. I have to draw the line at only looking for US location within a reasonable drive, (upstate New York or Vermont) and they show no availability at all. I can actually get an interview literally tomorrow if I want to drive to eastern Maine (8 hours one way) or North Dakota but I'm reluctant to even consider driving to Niagara Falls which would be a 6 hour one-way trip. I'll just have to wait it out and keep checking daily.

Edited May 17, 2022 by lx200gps

[Fouremco]

14 hours ago, dawnvip said:

I can take a guess - the GOC restrictions for employees within government spaces are still in place.

 

There are limits on number of people within any government space due to covid (just look at the massive line ups for passport interviews), so in-person interviews would require 1) opening the space 2) determining "safe" number of employees and clients within the space at any given time and 3) identify/post number of interviews available. Not sure how the US agents would fit into the mix.

 

Similar to the passport office, they would also likely have to hire security. 

GOC restrictions aren't an issue. There may be a few quick steps required before the doors are opened, but, for example, the passport offices are up and running. CBSA has continued to operate at airports and land crossings with high levels of interaction with the public, so I'd be surprised to find out that they aren't capable of managing by-appointment-only NEXUS interviews. Whatever security measures existed prior to the closures would presumably be re-instituted.

 

11 hours ago, daisy-mae said:

Why the need for security?

Since the interviews are by appointment, it is unlikely that a large number of clients would arrive at the same time. When we went for our original interview a number of years ago my husband and I were the only two people in the office, along with one Canadian and one US agent.

That was our experience too. Very different from the long lineups of walk-ins at Service Canada offices seeking passports.

[tottenhamfc]

Nexus doesnt have a whole lot if impact anyway. Useful for flying useless fir cruising. LA embarkment had never seen one before. And LA customs wasn't going to accept it either, but finally relented. I had my passport but just wanted ti use wallet ID. 

[1kaper]

8 hours ago, tottenhamfc said:

Nexus doesnt have a whole lot if impact anyway. Useful for flying useless fir cruising. LA embarkment had never seen one before. And LA customs wasn't going to accept it either, but finally relented. I had my passport but just wanted ti use wallet ID. 

Where I live in Canada I almost always require a connection.  And if I happen to not have to connect, that airport uses Nexus.  I have been on 3 trips since September in which it would have been useful and alleviated a lot of stress on one end or both. 
It would be well worth it to me.  Unfortunately, I can't get an interview. 

[lx200gps]

9 hours ago, tottenhamfc said:

Nexus doesnt have a whole lot if impact anyway. Useful for flying useless fir cruising. LA embarkment had never seen one before. And LA customs wasn't going to accept it either, but finally relented. I had my passport but just wanted ti use wallet ID. 

Actually, Port Everglades used to have a dedicated Global Entry line for those who have the card. We breezed through the line many times flashing our NEXUS cards. Don't know if it still exists now "post"-COVID.  And the last time we flew home, last November, the NEXUS lines here at YUL were absolutely massive, while the plebeian non-NEXUS lines were deserted.  Given the hell of airport arrivals and departures we're seeing on the news currently, I doubt NEXUS would be of much value right now, other than to maybe help get you through to the "shorter" security line reserved for NEXUS holders and priority credit card holders. Don't even know if that applies anymore either.

[1kaper]

2 hours ago, lx200gps said:

Actually, Port Everglades used to have a dedicated Global Entry line for those who have the card. We breezed through the line many times flashing our NEXUS cards. Don't know if it still exists now "post"-COVID.  And the last time we flew home, last November, the NEXUS lines here at YUL were absolutely massive, while the plebeian non-NEXUS lines were deserted.  Given the hell of airport arrivals and departures we're seeing on the news currently, I doubt NEXUS would be of much value right now, other than to maybe help get you through to the "shorter" security line reserved for NEXUS holders and priority credit card holders. Don't even know if that applies anymore either.

 

As I've said, I've been through the airports 3 times since September.  In September at YYZ, they were letting Nexus and airport employees skip to the front of the line with only one or two officers working.  One officer kept walking people somewhere. That meant at some points no one from the "plebian" non-nexus line was moving.  It was at that moment I decided to enrol.  I made it through in time to get to my gate and board. 
My last trip was last week.  I've been paying attention every time.  While some of my connections were painless, others would have been made a lot less stressful with Nexus. 

[Fouremco]

13 hours ago, tottenhamfc said:

Nexus doesnt have a whole lot if impact anyway. Useful for flying useless fir cruising. LA embarkment had never seen one before. And LA customs wasn't going to accept it either, but finally relented. I had my passport but just wanted ti use wallet ID. 

We enrolled in NEXUS back in 2013 and wouldn't do without it, even if it was solely for flying. I couldn't count the hundreds of hours waiting in lines that we've saved. For cruising it's been a mixed bag, but useful enough that I would renew just for cruising. As new technologies and programs are introduced, NEXUS may become less beneficial, but for the immediate future, we'll continue to renew.

[DirtyDawg]

19 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

We enrolled in NEXUS back in 2013 and wouldn't do without it, even if it was solely for flying. I couldn't count the hundreds of hours waiting in lines that we've saved. For cruising it's been a mixed bag, but useful enough that I would renew just for cruising. As new technologies and programs are introduced, NEXUS may become less beneficial, but for the immediate future, we'll continue to renew.

Nexus has provided huge time savings at security, both in the U'S. and Canada for us over the years.  Heck, I'd just renew it for the Nexus only bridge in Niagara Falls. 

[tottenhamfc]

Fouremco, out of curiosity, where have you derived the benefit from cruising specifically. Maybe my one and only experience using Nexus was not normal

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

Fouremco, out of curiosity, where have you derived the benefit from cruising specifically. Maybe my one and only experience using Nexus was not normal

Primarily at Port Everglades. Rather than joining a long, snaking line with well over a hundred passengers, the priority line often has just another couple of passengers ahead of us. There was one cruise out of Miami which had a dedicated line when we disembarked, but I think it was a CBP trial run only. 

 

There's no time saving at check in using NEXUS, so after one cruise where the check in staff refused to accept our NEXUS cards for a Boston-Montreal sailing, we don't bother anymore. We always travel with our passports anyway, so no problem.

 

I've not cruised out of Port Everglades since the pandemic, so I can't comment on the current situation.

[tottenhamfc]

Ok thanks. 

[*Miss G*]

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I've not cruised out of Port Everglades since the pandemic, so I can't comment on the current situation.

 

No idea if all terminals/lines have it, yet, but the HAL terminals have all switched over to facial recognition kiosks so no Global Entry lines anymore.  Fastest disembarkation I have ever done at PEV, even when we used GE.