This sub discussion about food made me re-read very carefully both declaration cards. I travel by air out of yyc and I usually carry chocolate bars into the usa and have never answered yes on the usa card. Mistake, and I will be more careful (or awake) next time.

I usually answer yes on the canada card because I bring back popeyes chicken (answering yes to the chicken specific declaration) but yesterday I had no popeyes, so answered no. I still had a chocolate bar, so technically should have answered yes. Mistake.

On a side note, I was hoping that my returns through yyc would be better now that I have a nexus card. Yesterday, just my luck, the nexus terminals were closed, roped off, not in service. Not sure why.

By using the nexus line, but not the actual terminal I was able to get through to my usual secondary screening more quickly, so that was good. My usual secondary screening related to my reason for being in the usa, mileage runs, is probably a different thread.

Actually you don't need to declare the chocolate coming into Canada because the Canadian declaration breaks down the prohibited food items more clearly, but you would need to declare the Popeyes.

It's the US which makes no distinction about the type of food - although when I check the YES box on the declaration card, I write what food it is on that line and again on the back where I list my spending/importation. If the regular line is not long, I generally just use a standard inspection booth instead of Nexus because I can get it over with in a few moments there, vs. the risk of getting to secondary and being told to sit down and wait. After noting it on the card, I don't bring it up verbally unless they ask me what it is, but having written "Smarties Candies" or "Shreddies Cereal" on the card usually answers their question before it's asked.

If I remember correctly from my entry at SFO the Global Entry kiosks also break the restricted food items down as well. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

Adrian

I've never used GE (yet), but as I understand it, the questions on screen are carbon copies of the one on the paper forms. For the US, on the paper forms, they also break down specific kinds of food items, but on question 3 of the yes/no questions (I think that's the one), "food" is listed, but inbetween a bunch of other specific food items.

I think that placement is a problem in itself, and is easy to gloss over. In many cases, I would be willing to bet many casual travelers don't even see it. Teaches us all that we should read these forms pretty carefully, so we can understand what we exactly we are answering.

You are right, I was looking at an old version of the CBSA declaration card not on the CBSA website. The current one does not contain the word "food".

Hi me again :p

This whole food discussion has be seriously :confused:

You all seem to agree that on the US CBP declaration card, there is only ''food'' listed and no breakdown, but before I had nexus, I would always take a bunch of cards when I saw one because the stands were always empty at YUL, and anyways, on these cards, line 11 a and b are a fruit/veggie/seeds/insects/plants/meats breakdown, so now I'm wondering if I need a different card to use with nexus?

and while I'm at it, is there a list somewhere of the questions that are asked by the kiosks when entering the US? I realise now that I was only given a crash course for entering Canada, but not the US...

When they list the word "food", they mean any type of food - anything consumable whether it appears in a breakdown list or not.

The machines will ask you if you answered 'yes' to any question on the card and take it from there - generally a yes means a secondary so they can resolve the issue.

Is that 30 days to schedule the appointment, or 30 days to actually follow through with the appointment and do the interview? I travel to Canada every three months or so. How far in advance of a trip should I apply to be sure to get an appointment on my next trip to Toronto?

How hard is it to get two appointments together? I am wondering if it is it to have my wife come with me on the trip to do her nexus interview, too.

Not sure what's going on with Nexus at YYZ these days. The last 3 out of 5 times I flew in or out of Pearson, I got randomly selected to go to secondary. Unbelievable.

One of the comments on the other site had this definition "If it makes you poo, declare it". I recently got secondaried and asked the officer about this definition and he agreed. When I fessed up to my Tetley tea bags, he stated, with a smile, that tea does not make you poo.

Other site?

See your sig..or maybe canflyer?

new post - issues with fingerprints and NEXUS cards
 

I'm a newbie to this forum and I'm not familiar with posting a new topic so I'm piggy backing off a current one.

I recently got a NEXUS card and there was a bit of delay with getting it as there was an error with my fingerprints. The system couldn't read them. :rolleyes:
I called the Blaine, WA office to inquire about Global Entry and they told me because of the error with my fingerprints (and my passport wasn't scanned) that I couldn't use GE and the person I spoke to started to tell me that I would need to come in to get my fingerprints re-done, then she put me on hold.
A few minutes later, she came back on the phone to tell me it's okay, I don't need to come and get my fingerprints re-done as there was nothing they could do. And that I'm okay for GE but I would be taken to see an officer in that case. (kind of defeats the whole process, I think)

Of course, when you're dealing with government, it's not unusual to get different answers from different people.
So I called back and spoke to a gentleman who told me I would need to come in and get them re-done and booked an appointment.

I really didn't want to go to Blaine for this so I decided to drop in at the airport office and thankfully, I was able to meet with a CBP office who had to take my fingerprints 3 times. The first two times he got the message that the system couldn't read my prints. After the third time, he said my prints look fine and was waiting for the system to confirm. In the meantime, he gave me a CBP for my passport for GE.

Has anyone else had this issue with fingerprints? I asked this office if this was unusual and he said there have been cases where the system says it can't read the prints.

Ugh! No NEXUS for domestic connections into the US at YVR?! I should have read all 195 pages. I sure had the free time in line. ;)

NEXUS card update/query from T.I. Bridge & SYR
 

We crossed the border today at the Thousand Islands bridge, and tried to use our NEXUS cards. The traffic was brutal, due to the Easter long weekend. We were informed that the dedicated NEXUS lane only operates from 06:00-08:00 M-F! Important information to know (preferably in advance) as the wait was 2 hours!

When we reached SYR, the TSA folks checked our NEXUS cards real close, and even pulled out the rule book! When I asked why, they said the company which manufactures the NEXUS cards went bankrupt, and no new ones were being issued! This sounded very strange, anyone else heard this?