I've looked through this thread, I've looked at the documents I received when I applied and was approved for nexus; now I'm going to ask for the answer to my question here. If I am traveling overseas and returning directly to Canada, NOT traveling through the US, can I use my nexus to re-enter in yyz? Everything I read in relation to use is always in conjunction with the US, but the references are vague. Or, do I need CanPass?

You may need to redo it...
 

Sometimes cataract surgery can affect the iris - Most of the time it doesn't but sometimes there can be a little distortion to the pupil when they place the lens implant - your pupil might look more oval, etc - this could possibly change the iris pattern that the previous scan is comparing to.

If you're going to have cataract surgery to both eyes I would wait to get re-scanned once both eyes are done.

Yes, Nexus will work fine for that.

Nexus will work just fine coming back to Canada from International. Think of it this way - there is no way to differentiate between passengers inbound to Canada from the US or overseas - everyone passes through the same customs hall.

I have just applied to the Nexus program. I got invited to the interview. The first available spot is (surprisingly!) very soon: July 1st 9:30.

Unfortunately I will be away for the long week-end. The next spot is not before September. So if anyone is booked during the month of July and would like to swap, PM me and we can try to swap.

Are you sure July 1 is the date? Seems to me the Nexus offices would be closed on July 1.

I'd keep checking to see if there are spots that open up through cancellations. On the other hand, are you flying out for the long weekend? Of course, no guarantees, but if you show up early to the airport, there have been reports of some people being able to get in for an interview if they are not too busy. No guarantees, of course, but might be worth a shot.

You don't bypass Security. You just have your own line for it and end up jumping the regular que because you walk straight to the front of the security line.

Once your BP gets scanned by the local gendarmes just behind AA's check in counters, you enter a large hall where people are in line for security. Don't get on the line behind all the passengers waiting. If you look, you will see a sign on a stand on the ground that directs people with NEXUS ( look for the logo) and certain others to the right of the rope. It does not have the feel of a que because there is generally no one on that side other than the police desk aong the right wall. It feels like you are walking in an open area around the corralled roped in passengers. Walk straight ahead and then making a sharp left to come to the glass doors where they will let you in ahead of everyone else on the other line because you are NEXUS. You proceed through the right side security posts and there on your right along the wall are the NEXUS machines. I have done this multiple times in the last 8 months and have been through very quickly. I suspect that you are ending up in the general passenger security line. BTW, you mention platinum and you asking about it, but this has nothing to do with platinum and I am not sure what you mean. This is purely a function of NEXUS.

I had major problems with the machines not recognizing my scan for about a year before having my cataract surgery earlier this year. Since surgeries have not no problems with the machines. Really came in handy last night as customs hall filled with two 777s arriving at YYZ T1 from PVG and PEK. Bag even came down within 10-minutes. Of getting to the carousel and was home in downtown TO in less than an hour from hitting the gate!

As of last November, my dh was able to fly to IAD with only NEXUS (same reason exactly, passport at the Indian consulate.)

Slight delay at United's YOW check in (counter staff didn't know, dh presented her with printouts from US and Canadian government, she phoned the US immigration number, misread the word NEXUS but my dh was shouting it in the background and the officer confirmed it was a NEXUS card and allowed checkin.) No problem at YOW US immigration pre-clearance.

On the return to Canada, no problem at check in but the gate agent wouldn't let him board and there was quite a delay and a phone call to somewhere. That was really annoying since check-in had obviously cleared his travel documents already.

So it isn't hassle free and you may be delayed but it is possible.

Your dh got really lucky. Nexus cards are only valid as WHTI-approved travel documents for air at the automated kiosks. If they're down (happens sometimes) and you have to go to an agent, or if they had got a random secondary in either direction, there definitely could have been big problems. It's really not a good idea to not have your passport with you for any reason.

I haven't found airline agents that accept Nexus in a while, anyway (used to try it, even though I always travel with my passport). Even AC agents, who used to accept it at US-based stations for a while, have insisted on a passport, IME, for about the last 2-3 years. I've rarely gotten UA to accept it as proper ID at check in or at the gate. UA's kiosk's can't even scan the info. off the card, even though the code it reads looks exactly the same as the one in passports. Not sure about the AC ones.

My advice to anyone is, even with Nexus, not to travel by air without your passport as well. Really, you'll need to get pretty lucky to get by without it at best. And this could easily result in denial of entry and loss of Nexus privileges. That's definitely not worth it since carrying a passport is really easy, anyway.

Quick question re: using NEXUS at ground crossings.

You're supposed to wave your card by the RFID reader. If you have other NEXUS people in the car with you, do you wave only your own card (as the driver) or do you wave all the cards of the occupants as well?

I realize everyone in the car needs to have NEXUS to use a NEXUS lane, but I'm curious about this and I know lots of non-NEXUS lanes have RFID readers for NEXUS cards, too.

You need to wave cards for all the occupants of the vehicle...., as the agent just ahead of that needs to verify the info. for everyone. I've only had a max of 3 in the car when crossing, but the reader should be able to read all cards when waved at the same time.

Wave the cards for all people - that way the information for all people comes up on the officers screen.

Many crossings have RFID readers in regular lanes now for holders of approved WHTI documentation (Nexus, Fast, Sentri and Enhancend Drivers Licenses) who need to use the regular lane, for what-ever reason.

I'm not I accept that a travel document can be valid if a machine is working and invalid if it is not. Why have the provision you can travel with it solely but only if the machines are working? What happens if the passport recognition system goes down, can no-one enter the country? Since you can't predict if the machines are working, it seems to me that there is no point in that provision unless the NEXUS card itself is accepted by the immigration agent, just like he'd accept my passport even if the readers were down.

When we crossed by land at Ogdensburg, NY, the US side accepted NEXUS as ID (even though they don't have the RFID readers) but on the return, 70 minutes later, Canada would not and had no way of accessing the NEXUS data base. Luckily, I was using NEXUS only to test the system and, after a panicked 30 minutes where they claimed I had filed that my NEXUS card had been stolen and disappeared with it into a back room to make phone calls, they admitted they had no access to check its validity and were relieved to see my passport.

Obviously, your advice to always have a passport is best - for instance, if NEXUS is only valid at airports at with kiosks, you could be in trouble if your plane is diverted to a non-NEXUS airport. But in my dh's case and the OP's case, it was the Indian government's insistence of holding the passport for a long time to get a visa that created the situation. I've since learned there are faster ways of getting visa (using brokers) but at the time, no-one at the consulate told us that this was an option.

Please don't mistake my stating the rule with my agreement for it. I'm just saying what the rules say. Maybe some agents are ok with seeing just a NEXUS card if machines are down, but I'm also pretty certain there are some that are not. I wouldn't want to take a chance that i got the one that was not willing to accept it. Not worth losing my privileges over.

In my conversations with those staffing NEXUS offices, I've always been advised to have my passport available no matter how I am traveling. IME being randomly referred to secondary every so often, I am almost always asked for my NEXUS card and my passport. I don't even want to think about what the response would be if I said to them, "sorry, I didn't bring my passport with me today, I've got NEXUS"

In fact, let me go on the record (flame suit fully on) in wishing that the rule was that passports (or EDL's for land-border) are mandatory to have when crossing the Canada-US border, even for NEXUS users. That way, there's no confusion on the rules (not to mention this thread would be about half the size that it currently is).

Many countries have required you to send passports out for visa's for a long time, in fact, much before any trusted traveler programs existed. I've had to do this, too. I have made sure that I plan ahead so that during the time my passport is out, I don't have any travel plans.