2MM_Guy

Is it my imagination or does the Nexus machines (in YYZ) US Transborder captures the scan faster than the machines in Canada Customs?

I have been suspecting this for about a year.

Also, of the 3 machines on the RHS, the middle machine in the Canada Customs area seems to be faster than the one on the right.

Crazy? Tired eyes in the morning? Thoughts?

Vasco

While I agree with you 100%, I have to point out one thing (it is something of a pet-peeve.)

You're actually referring to Customs Officers from CBSA, not Immigration Officers from CIC. CBSA staff man the booths and question you. As a Canadian citizen, you'd never deal with a proper CIC Immigration Officer. Immigration staff are located in the secondary screening area.

It may seem a minor distinction, but it actually needs to be understood. It bothers me because if you're going to complain about someone, make sure you're complaining about the right person. Canadian citizens do not interact with CIC Immigration Officers at the airport. We interact entirely with CBSA staff.

Now, again, I agree with you 100% in that those CBSA officers are by far the rudest, and most unnecessarily confrontational border officials in any country I have travelled to.

global happy traveller

because you are their citizen, and they want to ensure you are not bringing illegal stuff into the country.

same goes for US, Australia and lesser extent UK.....

also the word rude is dependent on the eye of beholder.... to me grilling a few questions is not rude (sometimes intimidating but thats not rude), adding demeaning comments is rude.....

If they are confrontational then chances are they are doing their job

Remember too, in US and Canada the Customs officer does both immigration and customs work..... in other countries you deal with Immigration and Customs separately.

jbb

I completely agree with the OP. I am a Canadian citizen but have lived in the UK for the past 5 years and travel to the continent frequently. I have always found it bizarre that I get questioned the most when I return to my home country even though it is the one place in the world in which I have a constitutionally guaranteed right to enter. I'm always jealous of European travelers entering the UK or Schengen where the immigration officer checks the passport to make sure it's valid and it is for the person in front of them and waves them through - NO questions.

I read a great article the other week about a US citizen who refused to answer the questions posed to him by US immigration officers when he was returning home. The officers were outraged and pulled him aside and threatened him and kept him for an hour or so but eventually they had to concur with his viewpoint that he does not have to answer any of their questions.

Frankly, it is my right to enter Canada and it is of no business to the government what I've been doing in my trip abroad or why I'm returning home!

Ace Cdn

That's why I like the Nexus card. You don't have to talk to anyone and can just go right through. Now if they could only implement that for going into the US it would be perfect.

global happy traveller

they have Ace.... its called Global Entry

Ace Cdn

yes but at the moment it is not available at Canadian airports where you have to preclear. Which makes no sense to me as really what's the differance?

global happy traveller

huh? there's NEXUS for inbound US too

emcampbe

Just curious do you wear glasses, and were you wearing them when the machine couldn't read your iris?

The only time I've had the new (dual-iris) camera refuse me was when I was wearing a new pair of glasses, which had different coatings than my old ones. I seemed to be ok wearing the old ones. When I went to the crew line, the agent asked me if I tried taking them off, as glasses can screw up the iris scan, I guess depending on the type of lens. I hadn't. Everytime since, I've made sure to take my glasses off, and works first time, every time.

Ace Cdn

The way I understand it with global entry you go to the kiosk do your thing then you just give them the card on the way out and your done...just like Nexus in Canada. When you preclear to the US you use the nexus machine then you have to wait to talk to a guy and you still get asked all the questions then they let you go. If you have been approved for Nexus I don't see why you still have to stop and have a conversation with the customs officer unless your card says you are declaring something.

2MM_Guy

I always take my glasses off too. But see my comment above.

Phrantic

While it is your right to enter Canada, section 11,12,13 of the Customs Act forces travellers to answer all questions posed to them by an officer when entering. So while not answering may work in the states, it wont fly here.

airbus320

I have nothing to hide....CBSA ask your questions

rehoult

The question isn't whether a law says you have to answer (I'd put a chunk on the fact the the US has a similar law), but rather whether such a law is constitutional when applied on a Canadian citizen. In the US the 5th would mean you can't be forced to answer; in Canadian it would be Section 13, unless the Court ruled that the law was ok under the reasonable limit clause (Section 1).

BTW, even if you refused to talk, the officers would still have the right to detain and search you, because I know the court HAS ruled that detaining and searching incoming passengers without cause is not a violation under Section 8 or 9.

Phrantic

The Customs Act doesn't go into specifics it simply says everyone who enters... That includes CDNs and Foreign Nationals. As to whether it is constitutional or not, that's for people in fancy robes to decide... And, since the law has been in effect for over 20 years, I am assuming that it may have already passed the Charter test.