RealHJ

Has anyone been able to schedule and actually keep and do a Nexus renewal interview appointment over the last 2+ years?

I submitted my renewal app in fall 2019. Got conditional approval late 2019. Had first appointment scheduled for March 2020. That got cancelled. Over the last two years had two more appointments scheduled, both cancelled. At this time still nothing at all available at ANY location in Canada or most US locations (I'm primarily looking at WA and BC, as it's the closest and only wastes 2~2.5 total days to fly in for it). Only locations that have anything appear to be MN and ND by the Canadian border, where it's not really possible to fly into without a very long drive. Of course, no online availability (I guess because CBSA has no Internet access? that's the only excuse I can think why they would refuse to do it online).

As it's been over 2 years since my card expired, it doesn't work anymore. Very inconvenient not to have TSA pre, especially now that I'm flying a lot, and not to have Global Entry.

Is there any secret to obtaining - and actually getting it kept and not cancelled - an appointment these last 2+ years? Has anyone been able to get their card "conditional approval" turned into an actual "approval" and a renewed card? How can one go about it?

I've asked, multiple times, is it possible to do the interview/complete renewal upon entry into US (interview on arrival). Even had the US CBP floor supervisor try for several minutes various ways, but the US side can't do it without the CBSA side that seems intent not to let any Nexus renewals through the last 2+ years. So the US CBP has tried valiantly, but they cannot push it from "conditional approval" to an actual renewed card. With no online appointments (ever) available, and for all practical intents and purposes still no in person appointments, what is one to do?

And also, it looks like there is no way to convert from Nexus to Global Entry. I asked and just was told if online doesn't have that option it's not possible. Has anyone been able to change from Nexus (conditional approval on a renewal) to GE? If so, what is the way to go about it?

DualityOfNam

I don't know what conversion from one program to another would even mean.

Why not just apply for GE or precheck by itself until this Nexus renewal mess is sorted out?

RealHJ

AFAIK you can't have both. That'll cancel the "conditional approval" Nexus.
Also, I rather like my Nexus ID number, as I've had it since the very beginning of Nexus, before there was even GE (I think). Not sure if GE would give me a different ID number. Would be a pain to change it on all the FF profiles &c.

TWA884

There are plenty of reports of members who scheduled interviews and completed them since the US NEXUS/FAST enrollment centers reopened.

Please refer to the following thread:You can apply for standalone PreCheck without adversely affecting your NEXUS renewal application

jix

Just completed renewal after March 2020 submission, precheck expired 2 months ago but managed to get the interview done before deadline.

Interestingly, no CBSA in the nexus office (also mentioned by others in other thread), I only realized that after walking out and thinking back there was only one US CBP officer I spoke to. If CBSA isn't needed for renewal they really should just open up the nexus appointment to all GE centers instead of border ones only.

TropicalTripper

Practically, you have a point, but think what would happen if CBP opened up Nexus interviews at all locations where CBP processes GE. Nexus is $50 and comes with more benefits and GE is $100. It would cannibalize GE applications and lead to a revenue decline. Consider also that CBP must somehow split Nexus fees with CBSA. My guess is that the absence of CBSA officers is temporary, but time will tell.

When I moved from GE to Nexus, my KTN stayed the same. Not sure about the reverse.

RealHJ

Thanks! That’s really helpful actually. I may just do that while waiting for the (frankly unnecessary, I know from prior experience) Nexus renewal interview.

I presume the KTN stays the same, I just get pre check reenabled on it then, right?

mnbp

You will get a separate KTN for the TSA Precheck program.

TWA884

Standalone precheck is issued by the TSA, Global Entry is issued by the CBP, NEXUS is issued by the CBP in cooperation with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

KTNs issued by the TSA consist of a combination of nine letters and numbers and generally start with "TT."

The CBP/CBSA PASSID, which is often referred to as KTN, is a nine digits number which usually begins with 15, 98 or 99.

RealHJ

Thanks.

I was going to apply for pre-check, but thought in the end I'll just "downgrade" my Nexus to GE (will save me two days and nights time of having to fly in to Seattle, drive up to Blaine, stay overnight and fly back the next day). But, alas, it seems I can NOT apply for GE while the Nexus application is "conditional approval," even though it's well past 720 days and the Nexus/GE card is useless at this point (no more pre-check, GE machines tell me its expired, etc.). Is that right? Is there only path to move "up" from GE to Nexus, but no path to move "down" from Nexus to GE?

When I click on apply for GE, it just takes me back to the "Dashboard" that shows the conditional approval for my Nexus renewal from 2.5 years ago. There is no way to apply for/"add" GE (only FAST), it appears.

Edit: I tried to call CPB to ask, but now it's truly impossible to get through to someone. Sending a message online got a response a month later telling me basically "if you can do it online you can do it, if you can't you can't," which wasn't very helpful and didn't answer it (but seems to imply that you can't move down from Nexus to GE, as online does not allow that).

TWA884

We have a recent thread on this topic.

You would have to cancel your pending NEXUS renewal application before being able to apply for Global Entry by contacting CBP at (877) 227-5511 or by email at [email protected].

jix

I'm in NYC area, and spent about 300 to fly into DTW and stayed there, rented a car and drove to Detroit/Windor enrollment to complete the interivew after fed up with numerous prior cancellations from Canadian offices. I could have also taken a long train ride to Niagara falls and walk over to complete the process, but most people don't live near a border so there will be some time/cost involved until Canadian airport opens to enrollment again.

There are many appointments available, especially in the less populous regions where the booking calendar is open for the next week/month, it's just a matter of navigating to the location and your tolerance of the time/cost. For popular locations, you'll have to be able to committ to travel plans in matter of seconds when availability opens up as most are just a single timeslot when a cancellation happens, usually within a few days of interivew (to me that makes travel planning and cost too prohibitive)

If you can plan, the International Falls location has daily availability and is right at the* near the INL airport and DL has MSP-INL daily flight available, and you have DL status to make the run easy.
*The appointment selector page likely has wrong address, it's using the airport address, but location is likely a bit closer to border at about 3 miles north, so 10 minutes drive with Avis/Budget or Uber/Cab there.

If it makes you feel better, the new expiry date of the nexus card is 5-6 years from the date you renew, so at least you got 2 years of free benefits between 2020-2022.

Hernendez

Interview and approval May 7th. Card received in the mail and activated May 18th in Ontario Canada.

RealHJ

Thanks. I guess I can try to contact CBP on this again. I tried to contact them online on how to do that, can they help me. Received an e-mail response a month later that just said "if you can't do it online you can't do it." Tried to call a few times, and after hellish phone menu on hold forever until it disconnects.

Well for now I got TSA pre-check, though it'll be a separate TT number I understand. Will see if the Nexus "conditional approval" from late 2019 drops off at some time, enabling me to get GE, while will keep checking for appointments open somewhere reasonably reachable daily. As I don't use the land border, at the airport I haven't had problem going through GE line, machine failing, then explaining to CPB that I am nearly 2.5 years ago "conditional approved" but still waiting for a Nexus renewal appointment. If anything the CPB officers sometimes try to help and push it through (interview on arrival), but cannot as it's Nexus..

Edit: I guess that Nexus renewal interviews (where they don't need biometrics, photo or retina scan) are not going to be open up to online service, ever. Is that right?

RealHJ

Thanks. I am in HNL, so I'm trying to keep it to Blaine (already a ~3 hour drive up from Seattle) or Vancouver/Richmond. I can fly in overnight, arrive 6am, drive to Blaine (hopefully safely...not a good idea to drive for so long after no-sleep overnight flight, but...) for after 10am appointment. But can't get back home the same day, unless I could drive to YVR and fly out from there, where there are late afternoon WS and CA flights to HNL. But, no car rental company will let you rent a one-way US->Canada or vice versa (and yes I've called and asked, even with highest status with National they won't, and no one else allows so either AFAIK, I've spent hours checking - which makes no sense, US/CA land border has been normal for many months, but car rental companies are still operating as if we were amidst pandemic restrictions). So I end up wasting two days and two nights and about a $1000 for flights, car rental and hotel combined, and that's the closest. Not to mention time to recoup after that ordeal after getting back home. (Makes me wonder is it really worth it.. but the change to GE is not made easy either.)

There used to be a lot more Nexus locations. I think a decade ago was one at SEA. That would have been easy. Fly in 6am, finish appointment, fly back 11am. Only one day and one night wasted. Then it moved to Boeing field, still a short taxi/Uber ride from SEA. But that got shut down also (years ago). And I think Nexus used to be also at some NY area airports and MSP at or near airport, but again no more.

I looked and the MN and ND locations seemed really far, like a day's drive away, from major airports. Good pointer about there being a DL flight MSP-INL. I hadn't checked if there is a way to fly somewhere closer. That is looking like the only feasible option. Just a shame that all the Nexus offices at or near major airports got shut down, as otherwise it should be possible to do it when I am transiting MSP and/or JFK or some such airport, as with the flight schedules to Europe there's usually 6~10 hours unavoidable daytime layover, which would leave plenty of time for a renewal appointment anywhere reasonable driving distance from the airport.

Big relief though that the expiry date will be 5 years from renewal appointment, not from when the card expired. Otherwise the new card would be only good for like 2.5 years.

Super helpful re: International Falls, MN and the INL airport nearby. If there is something - anything - to see and do there, so I can add a day or two of at least doing/seeing something there (vs. ~12 hours flying there and another ~12 hours flying back) and I can get flights at reasonable cost that align with appointment availability (which is rather open there indeed), that I think is probably the best option at the time. Thanks!