Mar 6, 2017, 1:27 pm
Last edit by: seawolf
CBSA published NEXUS processing times to get to conditional approval can be found here. The most recently published processing time is below, along with a short history of recent official published times. A longer history of published wait times is here, via the Internet Archive Wayback machine. Please post your personal experiences below in the thread. All posts are appreciated. Thank you/Merci!
5 business days as of 2020-04-29
30 business days as of 2020-02-17
39 business days as of 2019-10-07
40 business days as of 2019-08-28
25 business days as of 2019-04-11
5 business days as of 2020-04-29
30 business days as of 2020-02-17
39 business days as of 2019-10-07
40 business days as of 2019-08-28
25 business days as of 2019-04-11
NEXUS First Time Applications Information and Processing Timelines
Dec 9, 2019, 9:19 am
#1876
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 7
It's now been over five months since my wife submitted her application (beginning of July) with the application still showing "pending review". My wife called today and got a very angry and unpleasant woman who refused to even look up her application, and told her "it takes as long as it takes, if it's been longer than 7 months and still showing pending, then call back."
When we asked why they're continuing to process other months normally and letting the summer months continue waiting they got very angry. Either something is up with those two months or they're really THAT disorganized.
Dec 9, 2019, 9:37 am
#1877
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 24
I honestly don't understand what is wrong with June/July applications? Like everyone else I'm waiting also for more than five months. No help from CBSA at all. Unless something happened to their computers at summer time that resulted in file corruption I don't know what else could be. It is drastically wrong that we are waiting for so long while people that applied in September and October got approved already. Oh, well..
Dec 11, 2019, 12:45 pm
#1878
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
He had his appointment yesterday (Dec. 10) at Derby Line, Vermont, and he was immediately approved. Though he has to go to Montreal to do the iris scan registration.
Dec 11, 2019, 9:47 pm
#1879
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 149
I honestly don't understand what is wrong with June/July applications? Like everyone else I'm waiting also for more than five months. No help from CBSA at all. Unless something happened to their computers at summer time that resulted in file corruption I don't know what else could be. It is drastically wrong that we are waiting for so long while people that applied in September and October got approved already. Oh, well..
Think it’s worth showing up in-person to a NEXUS office? We’re close-ish to the airport.
Dec 12, 2019, 8:16 am
#1881
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 24
Again, nobody knows why summer files continue to be delayed while new applications are being processed. I don't think either CBSA or CBP will tell you the reason for this. The CBP website has changed timeline for NEXUS from being 3-5 months to 6 months. CBSA said the last time I spoke to them - 7 months. Regardless, I guess one thing is very certain - the wait time for summer files is going to be very long. 
Dec 13, 2019, 4:23 pm
#1882
Join Date: Dec 2019
Programs: NEXUS
Posts: 2
My timeline below.
Location: Vancouver
Applied: Sep 16, 2019
Interview Letter: Nov 15, 2019
Interview: Nov 19, 2019 (Vancouver Airport) got the slot from a cancellation. Else was available for March 2020 in Vancouver and had booked for Dec 31 Blaine, WA office.
Approved: Dec 2, 2019
Card Received: Dec 13, 2019
Location: Vancouver
Applied: Sep 16, 2019
Interview Letter: Nov 15, 2019
Interview: Nov 19, 2019 (Vancouver Airport) got the slot from a cancellation. Else was available for March 2020 in Vancouver and had booked for Dec 31 Blaine, WA office.
Approved: Dec 2, 2019
Card Received: Dec 13, 2019
Dec 20, 2019, 8:37 am
#1883
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,631
Moderator's Note
For indexing and future search purposes, recent posts whose focus was whether iris scans for NEXUS members are being replaced by facial recognition, as opposed to reporting approval processing timelines, were moved to the The NEXUS Information Thread.
TWA884
Travel SAfety/Security co-moderator
TWA884
Travel SAfety/Security co-moderator
Dec 20, 2019, 11:08 am
#1884
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 24
As there is absolutely no way to receive an update on the processing times from either CBSA or CBP, I would like to ask those people who applied for Nexus in June and July, i.e. more than 5 months ago, to post their status update once they receive conditional approval. Although processing times are different from one person to another, this will give the rest of us some indication as to when can we expect our files to be processed.
Dec 24, 2019, 11:40 am
#1885
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 7
Again, nobody knows why summer files continue to be delayed while new applications are being processed. I don't think either CBSA or CBP will tell you the reason for this. The CBP website has changed timeline for NEXUS from being 3-5 months to 6 months. CBSA said the last time I spoke to them - 7 months. Regardless, I guess one thing is very certain - the wait time for summer files is going to be very long.
And they said 7 months from which date? It has been nearly 7 months since my friend applied at this point.
Dec 24, 2019, 11:54 am
#1886
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 24
Since I frequent this site regularly I can attest that this timelines have changed recently. Before it said NEXUS 3-5 months. Apparently 7 months is from when you submitted an application. But that continues to increase constantly.
Dec 24, 2019, 12:08 pm
#1887
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 24
Besides, if you are looking at CBSA site it still says 39 days. I don't know where did you see 34 days. But this applies only to those who submit their applications now. Not to us, who had a misfortune to submit applications in June/July.
Dec 26, 2019, 9:55 pm
#1889
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 23
No update
As there is absolutely no way to receive an update on the processing times from either CBSA or CBP, I would like to ask those people who applied for Nexus in June and July, i.e. more than 5 months ago, to post their status update once they receive conditional approval. Although processing times are different from one person to another, this will give the rest of us some indication as to when can we expect our files to be processed.