NEXUS
 

I applied for NEXUS three weeks ago, and my status is still "Initial Enrollment - Pending Review". My card was charged $50 two and a half weeks ago.

http://www.nexus.gc.ca/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEXUS_(...eller_program)

Anyone knows how long time it will take to get interviewed and approved?

For me it took a week or so for my "Conditional Approval" to come through. Some people report here that it took 2 business days or less. The NEXUS website claims that it could take as long as 3-6 MONTHS, depending on the complexity of your case.

Basically, it takes however long it takes for CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) and CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) both to go through your immigration and customs records and make sure that you are a "low-risk" traveler, AND to clear you through the appropriate background checks of both governments. If you have a complicated travel history, or have convictions, arrests, or other police/government flags on your record (especially immigration/customs violations), it will take longer for Conditional Approval to come, if it comes at all.

After Conditional Approval, you will need to schedule an interview in person at one of the many NEXUS enrollment centers (or "centres," if you're in Canada) :). You will need to bring evidence of citizenship, proof of residence (utility/property tax bill), and the letter showing your Conditional Approval. You must schedule the interview within 30 days of receiving the Conditional Approval, but the interview itself can be beyond the 30-day window.

NOTE: If you want to use your NEXUS membership at the airport kiosks in Canada (to enter Canada and for preclearance back to the USA), you MUST visit an enrollment centre at a Canadian airport to complete the iris scan. The US-based enrollment centers do not have the iris scanning equipment. If you prefer to visit a US-based enrollment center, you can get the card valid for land and sea travel, and then you can add on the air kiosk part at your convenience (the next time you happen to be at a Canadian airport featuring an enrollment centre).

When you go for your interview, you will get a fairly stern talking-to from the examining officer. The officer will explain that the penalties for smuggling and/or improperly declaring goods will be much more severe for you, given your "trusted traveler" status. Your fingerprints will be checked against U.S., Canadian, and INTERPOL databases for any activity that might be of interest.

Wooow... Only a week or 2-3 business days! Then my three weeks definitely are longer than most people. Maybe having a greencard and an address in Europe within the stated 5 years might be why it taking longer.

FYI, you can do the interview and get the iris scan done at the Fort Erie, Canada enrollment center, just across the U.S. border from Buffalo, NY. They even have a mockup of the machines used at airports and they show you how to use it.

Thanks for the update! Good information to have!

Did you apply via paper or via the GOES website?

If you applied via paper, it'll take up to two months. The paperwork goes to Canada first, who usually does their part expeditiously. After they're done, they send it to the U.S. folks. And I don't think I need to explain U.S. Government efficiency.

GOES is a much faster route, usually taking one or two business days.

I speak from experience on both. I applied on paper for NEXUS, and applied for Global Entry on GOES. The timelines mentioned above is what I got, and what many other people mentioned in the Air Canada NEXUS thread.

IIRC, there was no notification of conditional approval, I logged on to find that I was approved and then proceeded to find an available date for the interview process. It took 10 business days for the initial approval process, and about 6 weeks before there was ana available interview date (location-dependent).

Yes, it was the same way for me. There was no active "notification." Instead, I just checked GOES regularly before the conditional approval appeared.

I agree with the previous poster as well, that a paper application would take much longer than one via GOES.


OT: Does anyone know the timetable of when NEXUS/SENTRI members will be able to do the crossover into Global Entry? (apparently it will be free) Will it be available via GOES? Or a separate system?

I did apply online and I check the status every day hoping for an update... :cool:

Without getting too personal, is there any reason (Customs confiscations, arrests, any other border-crossing related issues) they might be taking longer?

Nope, the only things that are out of the normal is having a greencard (instead of being a citizen) and having lived in Europe two years out of the last five. Maybe they are trying to verify my address overseas and that takes up the time. There are no (Customs confiscations, arrests, any other border-crossing related issues).

If you have a U.S. greencard, are you a citizen of Canada?

If not, then it's likely to take considerably longer. The program is designed primarily for US and Canadian citizens who reside in one of the two countries. Furthermore, since your address history includes substantial time outside the USA, it will take longer to verify.

Greencard = Permanent [US] resident!

Yes, but Permanent Resident does NOT equal Citizen!

My mother was a Permanent US Resident for 30 years before she naturalized and became a citizen.

Both Permanent Residents and Citizens pay taxes. But only Citizens can vote.


Updated: I just checked, and technically people who have neither US nor Canadian citizenship ARE eligible for membership in NEXUS if they have permanent residency (in USA, would be a greencard), PLUS they meet all of the other conditions:

http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/trave...ligibility.xml


But frankly, in the real world, how many folks would apply for NEXUS who do not have US or Canadian citizenship? There can't be that many.

Good news, the status just changed to "Conditional Approval Notification" after four weeks, and I have now a scheduled interview next week. *hurrey*