US and CAN should apply the same process easiness at airports too.

Interview - ease of access from Boston?
 

Hi,

I've been conditionally approved for a NEXUS interview, and didn't realize that I can't do that at US centers. Assuming that I can't change to Global Entry now (please correct if I'm wrong), what's my best bet? Does anyone know the cheapest way to get from Boston to a NEXUS center? Implicitly, is this less than the cost of a new app for Global Entry ($100)? I'm happy to take buses, trains, etc.

Also, my understanding is that both this and GE are good for 5 years. In 5 years, how much will I need to pay to renew, for each program? Will I need to go back to a Canadian center? I'm trying to figure out the costs/benefits of enrolling in NEXUS vs. submitting a new GE app. I don't travel internationally more than 3 times each year now, but that will likely go up within 5 years.

Thanks.

From Boston, your best bets for cheap and easy NEXUS interviews would be:

Halifax airport (YHZ)
Pearson airport, Toronto (YYZ)
Trudeau airport, Toronto (YUL)
Detroit airport (DTW)
Fort Erie, ON (just across from BUF)
Champlain, NY (270-mile drive from Boston)
Woodstock, NB (369-mile drive)

See if you can get a cheap flight or bus to one of those places, or make a weekend trip to Champlain, NY or Woodstock, NB and have some fun with it.

You will need to get interviewed again in 5 years to keep NEXUS.

If you seldom or never plan to come to Canada or you find the hassle of coming to the Canadian border or a Canadian airport is too much, then withdraw your application and apply again for GlobalEntry - but I suspect you'll forfeit your $50 application fee.

just rent a car and drive to Champlain and back. long day trip but this is the cheapest option and well worth it.

The passport info can certainly be updated in GOES, however I can't find a way to update the drivers license information. According to post #3393, there is no need to update it, but IIRC, there are conflicting posts. Does anyone have current info regarding the need to update drivers license info?

I could also not find a way to update it. When I was at the Nexus office in YVR they told me I had to bring it in and they do require that info to be current.

I think they no longer require it to be on file. However if you do have it on file I would update it as it will throw an Expired Document flag if the info on file shows it's expired (which may result in you getting sent to secondary).

Only the toll is automated. There are agents at both ends and you must stop and be allowed to proceed to depart. You need one card to open the gate at the Canadian end to get on the bridge and then show all cards at the US end and deal with the agent. Going back, your card has to have toll money in it. The first time, you go to the kiosk next to the bridge entrance and put money into the card. Then when you enter the bridge the gate opens if your card is debited. You then stop at the Canadian end and have the card scanned and discuss your case with the agent.

The only one on US soil that I can recall is the Niagara Falls Whirlpool Bridge office. I was in there a couple of hours ago and there were 3 dudes sitting waiting for their interviews.

i was at YYZ last week to update my DL and CDN person said it did not need to be done. also, tried to update conveyance, also not required...she noted that if you try to do it online you will get some odd note about 40 bucks etc.

update employment change for my wife, yes that needed to be done.

directly contrary to what CBS officials said last week when i tried to update the same at YYZ. go figure.

I did mine in Blaine, Washington. You can do interviews at several US enrollment centres (mainly located at borders) but you just can't do the iris scan in the US. Niagara Falls and Champlain can do iris scans at the Canadian side of the office.

There's lots of centers in the US - Detroit, Port Huron, Seattle, North Dakota, Montana, etc. The thing you can't do in those offices is get your iris scanned - but you can get the interview done.

I sounded like the OP of this question wants to use public transport only? (Or I guess rent a car, per 2nd reply.) Here's my two cents (soon to be non-existent in Canada, where they have decided to stop making pennies!)...

I drive from Boston to Canada a lot, that's why I applied (still awaiting approval). I cross often at Thousand Islands, just north of Watertown NY. That's further than the Champlain border, at 370 miles, but I like the drive thru upstate NY (and am always en route to Kingston or near, where I am now). I hope to do an interview here.

Currently I am without my own vehicle, so I have had to look at public transport options. You can take a bus to Burlington but I couldn't see how to cross (or get to and stop at) the border from there, though you can rent a car in Burlington very cheaply and presumably drive to the border. I'm actually doing a one-way one-day rental soon from Watertown and it's not very expensive, so I'd agree with the 2nd suggestion above about renting a car for a day to drive to the Champlain border. Though Thousand Islands is much prettier... :)

Flights to YYZ weren't that cheap and I checked a number of times, even though Porter is showing some specials in the paper right now. Last I looked it was cheaper to go to Toronto City airport (YTZ), but not sure if they have an office there?

The bus is a HUGE pain from Boston, so I'd give that a miss. Like I said you can go to Burlington but then how to get to the border? And you can go to Syracuse then get another to Watertown but it basically takes all day one way, so you'd have to do an overnight, which would negate the cheaper price of the bus.

Train is interesting, I know you can go to Albany and change to Montreal, or go to Buffalo and cab to the border? But again it's a long journey, probably can't do rtn in one day like in a car.

Not sure if this is at all helpful, but figured I'd throw in my experience. I plan to get GE after Nexus, and it sounds like you do too, best to go ahead and GET Nexus, or like the post at top says, you'll probably lose the fee and have to pay again for GE. That's a $150 cost total, right? Cheaper to rent car & drive in one day up & back.

While not cheaper than $100, you can fly to BUF and drive to the enrollment center at the Whirlpool bridge (on the US side) in about 25 minutes or Fort Erie (on the Canadian side) in about 15 minutes + crossing time.

Jetblue flies BOS-BUF several times a day.