When exiting immigration in YVR prior to baggage claim, I have always had to show my customs form, NEXUS card and the slip from the Kiosk, and the one time I did not have my Nexus card out, I was stopped and asked to show it to the officer.

You can always tell them to pull out their book of TSA approved ID, and they will see that Canadian provincial IDs or Drivers licenses are very much listed there. If the agent refuses to get the book, ask for a supervisor.

In general, I don't push my luck with using the Nexus card as acceptable ID to board a US (domestic flight) even though that too is acceptable ID as per the TSA rule book. I figure that pulling out the Nexus card invites more questions. But I very much insist on using my BC drivers license at TSA when it is not an international flight. It is simply much easier to pull the DL out of my wallet, because I leave my passport in my bag, not wanting to risk leaving it around at some checkpoint.

NEXUS Land only requires you to carry your card. Also, the US technically only requires you to have your NEXUS card when using NEXUS Air. That said, CBSA requires you to carry your passport and NEXUS card when using NEXUS Air. I'm guessing that is partially the result of the admission that it is harder to scan the card than a passport, which is just plain lazy.

That is idiotic. All Canadian driver licenses are TSA approved ID. So are NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST cards.

Why would it "raise questions?" They have no business asking you anything. Just verify the ID matches the BP and move along.

Had that problem at PBX a few years ago. Followed up with a complaint to Washington. The supreme irony at the time was that the TSA web site showed the NEXUS card as the first of several acceptable government-issued IDs!

You're more observant than I...indeed the cards are identical except for the words NEXUS and SENTRY on the message side.

Prior to boarding flights in the US to Canada most airlines insist on doing a passport check. Until a year or so ago. Most would not accept the NEXUS card in lieu of a passport, but it seems to now be acceptable.

It still shows the NEXUS card as the first example. Of course, if you ask an idiot at the TSA, "the website is out of date and we don't take that anymore."

That's SENTRI.

Document check is a legal requirement. I think most GAs know NEXUS cards now. Of course, they always accept NEXUS cards as proper ID when boarding from Canada to the US.

today's esperience in JFK
 

I'm a Nexus Member, canadian perm resident, non-candian passport.
did my fingerprints on my original interview back in 2009.

today was the first time trying global entry in JFK T4.

swiped passport, not OK. it says Im not registered into the program.
tried again, nothing. tried with my visa. nothing.

did my immigration process with an agent. and I was lucky enough to discover there's a global entry registration office two steps away when you exit customs.

the guys were amazing, they were very very helpful and with the best attitude. they discovered the link to use global entry was not activated in either documents so they put the link. then we walked through the training machine and everything went fine.

I had my welcome letter to the program printed just in case, they wanted to see so they learn since (as it was discussed before in the thread) it's new for them and only a few people are coming over from nexus to that office.

for those with I-94 process the machine as somebody said before prints an I-94 that you can keep until you leave USA or Canada.

hope it helps.

Thanks for the info.

Almost worth it to go to JFK. :)

Hi wpj. Very interesting. I am also a Canadian PR, not a citizen of either US or Canada, and I need an I-94 every time I enter the US (which I keep until the end of the 6 month validity). It is annoying but, as you know, when entering the US without a valid I-94 in my passport, I cannot use the Nexus lanes, but need to go through the regular lanes.

Your description implies that when using GE, one doesn't need the I-94 at all since the machine will give you a new one. Can you confirm this is the case? I am surprised, especially since it means GE and Nexus don't follow the same procedures for foreign (i.e. non-US or Canadian) citizens.

Cheers,

Yes, the GE machine at the US port of entry when you are coming from overseas will give you a brand new I94 form, as any other normal agent will do. I saw the I94, it is a machine printed slip that says somewhere I94.

GE officers told me I have to give that away when I leave the United states going to international but I must keep when I go to canada for re-entry in US-canada border.

the not-using nexus when you have a valid I94 un canada to US border is another story... I've been going through the normal agent lines in YYZ, announcing myself as nexus to the agent (person). they told me so many times If I have nexus and a valid I94 I need to use the machine, regardless If I have or not registered that I94 in the nexus system.

I told immigration people in YYZ it is not what nexus guys told me during the interview, and they insisted, it is the way to go and they are the ones who knows about immigration rules.

I start doing that 1 year ago, and no problems, even today when they guys in JFK looked at my record everything was in order...

but... who knows !

Interesting again. I too was warned during the Nexus interview not to try using a Nexus lane (either land or air) unless the I-94 card had been entered into the system. You're saying I could have saved the 10-25 minutes each time I get a new card that I spent waiting to update it.

Still, if you enter at a time when you don't have a valid I-94, you cannot use the Nexus lane, correct? [I understand that you can do so now when using the GE kiosk].

Thanks for the info.

By the way, I'm looking forward to putting these days of I-94 silliness behind me, since I should hopefully become a Canadian citizen within 6 months or so. The I-94 is particularly annoying when I have to change from B-1 to B-2 status and vice versa.

Good info!

I was wondering who the Global Entry deals with I-94s.

FYI...the GE machines in the offices that are in training mode that you use to walk through the process are not at all connected to the GE system. It's just a demo so you know how to use it. So any passport, whether it's connected to a GE profile or not, will work and it will walk you through the steps regardless.

Learned this first-hand at the SFO GE office earlier this week. The only way you can know for sure that it works in the machines is when you swipe it in an actual machine when you arrive back in the US. Of course, an officer, too, should be able to look you up and confirm you are in the system..

I figured this.. I need to try again on live mode.. I'll report back in a few weeks.