Mar 3, 2013, 10:24 pm
Last edit by: TWA884
Current NEXUS Information messages can be found in the following thread:
The NEXUS Information Thread
The NEXUS Information Thread
Welcome to the Travel Safety/Security Trusted Travelers Forum Nexus Information Wiki! This resource will appear at the top of every page within this thread to help users learn more about this program.
About NEXUS
NEXUS is designed to expedite the border clearance process for low-risk, pre-approved travellers into Canada and the United States.
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) are cooperating in this joint venture to simplify border crossing for members while enhancing security.
Program benefits
If you are approved to participate in NEXUS, you will receive a membership identification card to use when entering Canada or the United States at all designated NEXUS air, land and marine ports of entry.
Membership will enable airline passengers to save time by:
- using automated self-serve kiosks in dedicated areas at designated international airports;
- using NEXUS/SENTRI lanes at land crossings when/where available. NEXUS lanes entering Canada will likely have a constant red traffic signal. This is to discourage non-NEXUS members from using the lane. Canada-bound NEXUS land crossing operating hours. All occupants must have NEXUS cards when using NEXUS lane entering Canada. At some locations, the NEXUS lane, the inspection booth is not staffed but there should be a call button. When entering US in a NEXUS/SENTRI lane, all occupants must carry either NEXUS, Global Entry, or SENTRI cards (or any combination thereof). Notable exception is Whirlpool Bridge which requires a NEXUS card to open the toll gate on the Canadian side to cross to the US..
- As of 17 MAY 2017 - NEXUS members no longer need to complete a paper CBSA Declaration Card (Form E311) when using a NEXUS self-serve kiosk at any Canadian airport where NEXUS is available. (Refer to post #10421)
- using the Trusted Traveller Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Security Line at major and select medium-sized Canadian airports to expedite airport pre boarding security screening. For detailed information, please visit the CATSA Web site.
Join NEXUS
Here are the steps for becoming a member. There is a non-refundable processing fee of CAN$50 or US$50 per applicant for a five-year membership card.
About NEXUS
Eligibility
How to apply
Enrolment process
Key points about the program as found by forum members:
- NEXUS cardholders must advise of ANY changes to their vital information such as passport numbers/validity, visa status, legal names, primary residence, criminal convictions, and employment if it impacts your eligibility in the program.
- It's normal to find the first in-person NEXUS interview to be months into the future, but a little patience and regular checks on the TTP website almost always yields an interview date much sooner.
- Each person who wants to participate in the NEXUS program must fill out a separate application form. There is no fee for applicants under the age of 18.
- If traveling with non-NEXUS family members NEXUS cardholders are required to use the regular customs lines.
- There is a zero tolerance policy and membership can be terminated for infractions including not having your NEXUS card on you and using the NEXUS lane and not declaring items on your customs declaration card, though members have reported some leniency being granted for such infractions in the past.
- Private companies may offer services for submitting your application and charge an additional processing fee but these extra charges are not part of the official NEXUS application fee. Expedited services offered by such companies will not assist in speeding up the application process.
Updating Passport with Canada for NEXUS
As per CBSA website, updates to passport information can be handled on TTP.
Please note that NEXUS members are not required to report to an Enrolment Centre to update or change their passport information with the CBSA.
Some FT members don't trust instructions provided by CBSA and recommend the following:
Call the Canadian Processing Centre with responsibility for residents of the United States:
After going through the phone tree to reach a Nexus representative, advise them that you need to update your US passport with Canada.
The representative will give you an email address and instructions to scan your updated passport picture page (include your trusted traveler number on the scan) and then email it to a particular email address. I was advised to put the representative's name in the email message so that he could process the update on the Canadian side. He confirmed that any passport update in TTP does not reach Canada. NOTE: FT members have been able to enter Canada without any issues by updating passport online only.
He specifically requested that only the telephone number be posted (and not the email address).
In case the telephone number doesn't work, here's the webpage where the phone number is posted: Canada Border Services Agency - NEXUS - General Information
- 800-842-7647 --- Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Eastern Time)
After going through the phone tree to reach a Nexus representative, advise them that you need to update your US passport with Canada.
The representative will give you an email address and instructions to scan your updated passport picture page (include your trusted traveler number on the scan) and then email it to a particular email address. I was advised to put the representative's name in the email message so that he could process the update on the Canadian side. He confirmed that any passport update in TTP does not reach Canada. NOTE: FT members have been able to enter Canada without any issues by updating passport online only.
He specifically requested that only the telephone number be posted (and not the email address).
In case the telephone number doesn't work, here's the webpage where the phone number is posted: Canada Border Services Agency - NEXUS - General Information
US citizens/residents who have both Global Entry and NEXUS cards and who renew the Global Entry membership whilst their NEXUS card is active, will not be able to renew the NEXUS card until after it expires. The option to do so disappears from the TTP website.
Dear mxzblftspk,
Your NEXUS membership is not set to expire until July 11 2016.
As an approved NEXUS member, you added Global Entry for an additional $100. When you completed your Global Entry application, you received a Global Entry card. When you activated the Global Entry Card, your NEXUS Card was deactivated and the option to renew NEXUS was removed from your account.
If you wish to renew NEXUS, you will have to wait for your NEXUS membership to expire. Once it expires, you will have the option within your TTP online account to renew NEXUS. After you follow all of the steps to become a NEXUS member again, including the completion of an interview at a NEXUS Enrollment Center near the Canadian border, you will receive a new NEXUS card and will have Global Entry benefits at no additional cost.
When your Global Entry account expires 5 years after your application, do not renew it. Global Entry benefits are included with your NEXUS membership.
It is our goal to provide you the best information we have in response to your question. If you follow the information provided in our response, and still need assistance, please reply to this email and we will investigate how we may further assist you.
Thank you again for contacting the CBP INFO Center.
Sincerely,
CBP INFO Center
Your NEXUS membership is not set to expire until July 11 2016.
As an approved NEXUS member, you added Global Entry for an additional $100. When you completed your Global Entry application, you received a Global Entry card. When you activated the Global Entry Card, your NEXUS Card was deactivated and the option to renew NEXUS was removed from your account.
If you wish to renew NEXUS, you will have to wait for your NEXUS membership to expire. Once it expires, you will have the option within your TTP online account to renew NEXUS. After you follow all of the steps to become a NEXUS member again, including the completion of an interview at a NEXUS Enrollment Center near the Canadian border, you will receive a new NEXUS card and will have Global Entry benefits at no additional cost.
When your Global Entry account expires 5 years after your application, do not renew it. Global Entry benefits are included with your NEXUS membership.
It is our goal to provide you the best information we have in response to your question. If you follow the information provided in our response, and still need assistance, please reply to this email and we will investigate how we may further assist you.
Thank you again for contacting the CBP INFO Center.
Sincerely,
CBP INFO Center
Archived: The NEXUS Information Thread
Mar 30, 2015, 5:18 am
#9181
Join Date: May 2013
Programs: NEXUS/GE
Posts: 521
Hello all. I'm looking for some advice from those who carry a Nexus card but are not citizens of the US or Canada. (i'm a Canadian PR holding a US tourist visa)
I just got approved for Nexus and now awaiting my card. I am planning on driving across the border. I know that I-94s are still being issued at land border crossings. Do I still need to park the car and get into that building to have one issued ?
Do Nexus lanes actually have an officer who talks to the visitor, or is it all automated ? Just trying to know what to expect when using a Nexus lane for the first time.
Thanks !
I just got approved for Nexus and now awaiting my card. I am planning on driving across the border. I know that I-94s are still being issued at land border crossings. Do I still need to park the car and get into that building to have one issued ?
Do Nexus lanes actually have an officer who talks to the visitor, or is it all automated ? Just trying to know what to expect when using a Nexus lane for the first time.
Thanks !
NEXUS lanes are manned on both sides. They do ask questions and can send you to secondary.
Mar 30, 2015, 12:10 pm
#9182
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 446
Just to add to this.. The crossing experience (ie the interaction with the agent) is identical to any crossing you've experienced before. In land mode the only reason to really use it is to minimize the time you spend waiting to get to the booth.
Mar 30, 2015, 1:00 pm
#9183
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 2
Thanks Xero. So if you spend less time getting to the booth, then I'm assuming the interaction between the officer and each visitor must be shorter than that in a regular lane... i mean if 2 Nexus lanes at Niagara Falls are almost always empty during peak hours, then they must have been waving visitors through at a faster rate, no ? either that or most people at that crossing aren't Nexus users...
I have a chronic problem with my vocal cords, and when the officer starts asking me the usual questions from inside his booth, 3 times out of 4 he ends up yelling "speak up I can't hear ya !" Most of them get pissed off before they even figure out my problem. I was thinking maybe the Nexus card could come in handy by sending me directly to the building. (they ask the same questions again in there anyway)
Mar 30, 2015, 1:21 pm
#9184
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Quebec and Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC*E50, SPG/Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,917
I got this information from the US agent I met in YUL for my interview. My wife is a Singapore citizen. She was not with me at the interview, so the guy told me to make sure she has a US visa the day of her interview at YUL too. Then he probably remembered that Singapore citizen don't need a visa, so he corrected mentioning ESTA.
I'm a little bit surprised too, it's nowhere mentionned on her approval letter, but you know I have a basic rule in this situation; never argue with the US agents, even on Canadian soil.
The only justification that I can think off is that if the candidate has a visa or is ESTA approved, the work of the agent will be easier, part of the background check is already done.
I'm a little bit surprised too, it's nowhere mentionned on her approval letter, but you know I have a basic rule in this situation; never argue with the US agents, even on Canadian soil.
The only justification that I can think off is that if the candidate has a visa or is ESTA approved, the work of the agent will be easier, part of the background check is already done.
Mar 30, 2015, 1:39 pm
#9185
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YVR to SEA
Posts: 2,535
One time I took the regular lane 4-5 cars deep because the Nexus lane at Peace arch was way backed up, 20-30 cars perhaps.
Biggest regret ever. I counted 13 cars that went through the nexus lane (one line feeds 2 booths) before I moved up 1 car.
Biggest regret ever. I counted 13 cars that went through the nexus lane (one line feeds 2 booths) before I moved up 1 car.
Mar 31, 2015, 9:49 am
#9186
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YQR
Programs: NEXUS; alas, no status anymore.
Posts: 1,181
I have made limited crossings at dedicated NEXUS lanes at land ports, but in my experience, I seem far more likely to get a "Welcome to the US / Welcome home" without any questions using NEXUS than I am without using it, or when using NEXUS at a non-NEXUS lane (my most frequent US crossing lacks NEXUS lanes entirely). If things are busy it seems far more likely with NEXUS that you'll get few to no questions.
Mar 31, 2015, 6:55 pm
#9187
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 446
Thanks Xero. So if you spend less time getting to the booth, then I'm assuming the interaction between the officer and each visitor must be shorter than that in a regular lane... i mean if 2 Nexus lanes at Niagara Falls are almost always empty during peak hours, then they must have been waving visitors through at a faster rate, no ? either that or most people at that crossing aren't Nexus users...
I have made limited crossings at dedicated NEXUS lanes at land ports, but in my experience, I seem far more likely to get a "Welcome to the US / Welcome home" without any questions using NEXUS than I am without using it, or when using NEXUS at a non-NEXUS lane (my most frequent US crossing lacks NEXUS lanes entirely). If things are busy it seems far more likely with NEXUS that you'll get few to no questions.
Mar 31, 2015, 7:10 pm
#9188
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YVR to SEA
Posts: 2,535
That was returning to Canada. I hold a Canadian passport, if that makes any difference
Apr 2, 2015, 2:14 am
#9189
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: TBD
Programs: AA since 1988 (ex-elite status); Alaska; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 497
Of course I later realized it was easier to avoid all the mess by using the Wolf Island ferry where the border crossing means you and maybe 8 or so other vehicles on a busy day, but no Nexus privileges. Still quicker sometimes, with the huge traffic jams on major crossings.
Getting GE was a bonus and then I realized how great that is too.
Apr 2, 2015, 5:21 am
#9190
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: Star Alliance G*, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium,
Posts: 3,585
http://www.ezbordercrossing.com/list.../#.VR0lYfnF_4V
IME, the problem on weekends is not the queues.............its when the NEXUS lane is closed!
Apr 6, 2015, 5:50 pm
#9191
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
New Nexus terminals at YYZ
Came through YYZ today (terminal 1), and all the Nexus terminals have been consolidated to the left side of the customs hall and there are now 20 machines! Great improvement over the 6 machines that we used to have. ^
I went back a few pages and didn't see this mentioned so hope this isn't old news.
I went back a few pages and didn't see this mentioned so hope this isn't old news.
Apr 7, 2015, 4:42 pm
#9192
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,784
Terminal 3
all NEXUS machines are on the RIGHT side
about 10 on each side also for 20+ total
all NEXUS machines are on the RIGHT side
about 10 on each side also for 20+ total
Apr 8, 2015, 10:49 am
#9193
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC Aeroplan, BA blue
Posts: 138
No Password changes can be done online
NEXUS
Updates to personal information
How will you be travelling?
Air
Land
Marine
Join NEXUS
About NEXUS
Eligibility
Application
Enrolment Process
Current NEXUS members
Update personal information
Terms and Conditions
Reasons for Cancellation
Membership renewal
NEXUS members can access the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) to update address changes and passport information that is already on file. Even if you did not apply using GOES, you can still confirm or update your information by creating a GOES account, which enables you to view and modify your file.
NEXUS members must report to an Enrolment Centre to update or change all other information including:
Legal Name Changes
Changes to Citizenship Documents
Changes to Permanent Resident Card Information
Changes to Naturalization Certificates
Changes to Work Visas or Study Permit Information
Changes to Employment Information if the change affects your eligibility to the program
Changes to Legal Custody and Legal Guardian Status or Jurisdiction (For all NEXUS members under 18)
Changes that could affect your NEXUS membership such as an arrest, a criminal charge, a conviction or a customs or immigration violation in Canada or the United States.
Purpose of travel changes (business/pleasure/school, etc)
On occasion, NEXUS will need to contact you regarding program changes. Therefore, please ensure that NEXUS always has your current contact information on file.
NEXUS
Updates to personal information
How will you be travelling?
Air
Land
Marine
Join NEXUS
About NEXUS
Eligibility
Application
Enrolment Process
Current NEXUS members
Update personal information
Terms and Conditions
Reasons for Cancellation
Membership renewal
NEXUS members can access the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) to update address changes and passport information that is already on file. Even if you did not apply using GOES, you can still confirm or update your information by creating a GOES account, which enables you to view and modify your file.
NEXUS members must report to an Enrolment Centre to update or change all other information including:
Legal Name Changes
Changes to Citizenship Documents
Changes to Permanent Resident Card Information
Changes to Naturalization Certificates
Changes to Work Visas or Study Permit Information
Changes to Employment Information if the change affects your eligibility to the program
Changes to Legal Custody and Legal Guardian Status or Jurisdiction (For all NEXUS members under 18)
Changes that could affect your NEXUS membership such as an arrest, a criminal charge, a conviction or a customs or immigration violation in Canada or the United States.
Purpose of travel changes (business/pleasure/school, etc)
On occasion, NEXUS will need to contact you regarding program changes. Therefore, please ensure that NEXUS always has your current contact information on file.
Apr 8, 2015, 3:13 pm
#9194
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 491
...
I wish Canada would have just switched to the GE machines. Fingerprints are much less finicky than iris scanners. The GE machines work on the first try much more often. Very occasionally, they don't seem to read my passport, so I just move onto the next one. I'd say I find the GE machines many times more reliable than Nexus....
I wish Canada would have just switched to the GE machines. Fingerprints are much less finicky than iris scanners. The GE machines work on the first try much more often. Very occasionally, they don't seem to read my passport, so I just move onto the next one. I'd say I find the GE machines many times more reliable than Nexus....
Has there been any talk about dropping the iris scan and just using fingerprints for NEXUS? I agree that this would be much easier and would make sense in terms of using the same technology.
Apr 8, 2015, 3:28 pm
#9195
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: YYC/MNL
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy SE
Posts: 520
Those iris scanners never work for me. Even when I go bug-eyed.
I hope they just keep the fingerprint like in the US.
I hope they just keep the fingerprint like in the US.