From your queston, I am guessing you are not a Canadian citizen either.
In that case, what do you hope to gain from getting Nexus, in comparison to Global Entry? Are you planning to go in and out of Canada a lot?

The Nexus application and renewal are a lot more of a hassle than GE because you have to interview with both the Canada and US personnel.

I live in a border state and the lines can be very long (sometimes as much as an hour). The nexus lines usually take less than a few minutes.

I am mixed about this piece. Nexus does have an extra benefit besides all the other benefits of GE + TSA Pre at a lower price. After watching the recent political developments at the border, the ability to get express entry into a relatively more peaceful + neutral neighbor country gives the doomsday paranoid side of me some peace of mind.

If one is lucky, they would have to make an appointment only for the first time and the following renewals could keep happening without needing additional appointments.

Another disadvantage is that while one can reimburse the Global Entry 100$ fee using certain free credit cards (Penfed Pathfinder), the 50$ for NEXUS have no such option and has to be shelled out of one's pocket every 5 years.

1) I will be in DTW this week and have my initial interview scheduled. I was planning to go over to Windsor to get my iris scan, but it seems that won't be possible since I won't have my physical card yet. Can anyone confirm that that's still the case? I was hoping to do it on this trip as I live quite a ways from the border and will be flying to YYZ next month (I was hoping to save time on arrival).

2) If I can't get my iris scan now, I could wait until I'm at YYZ next month. Assuming my approval is finalized and I have my card, is there still the option for a member without an iris scan to use the special services or crew lane to save time upon arrival?

No personal experience. I believe a physical NEXUS card is not required for an iris scan. Some enrollment centers in the U.S. do not have iris scan capability, applicant can walk across border and have his/her iris scanned.

Do not know. Please come back and let us know so others can benefit from your experience in the future.

I had my NEXUS interview at Detroit in February and was told iris scans require the card unless you're doing them at a center that has the iris scanners there so didn't try going over to Windsor.

Two weeks later, arriving at YVR, I would have asked about using the special services lane but as there was no one readily available to ask and no line at the regular kiosks, just did regular, then went upstairs to the enrollment center for the iris scan.

I don't know what you mean by that. Getting an iris scan done requires the card if there's no iris scanner? I don't get it.

I said nothing of the sort. Detroit does not have iris scanners. What I said was you must have the card to have the scan done elsewhere (presumably because there are no iris scanners where you had the interview done such as at Detroit). In other words:
- If there are iris scanners where you are having the interview done, the iris scan can be done at the time of the interview
- If there are no iris scanners where you are having the interview done, you must wait until you receive the NEXUS card and then you can go to any location with iris scanners to have the scan done.

Thanks for clarifying.

My apologies if this has been covered elsewhere. Does anyone know if one can declare food items using the NEXUS kiosk when entering Canada at an airport (coffee, nuts) - or must one always use the regular non-Nexus line at the airport (I've done it in the Nexus line land crossing by pressing the verbal declaration....

The kiosks ask about food, and if you say yes will put a notation on your receipt (much like the US Global Entry kiosks do). The officer at the exit will probably ask you what the food is and may send you to secondary.

(That's what happened last time I flew into YUL, last year.)

Is anyone familiar with having NEXUS with TN status? Will be applying for TN-1 at YYZ to work in US, which to my understanding basically involves applying with the customs officer after you get through security. But once you get admitted, you can't go back to the NEXUS office which is pre-security and tell them about your visa status change. Can the CBP officer handle updating that if you present your passport and your NEXUS card?

Also, I never actually use the NEXUS card for entering US or Canada, I just have it for Global Entry and TSA Pre and I use my passport as normal. Is it okay to just keep using Global Entry kiosks with TN-1 status? Any special procedures upon leaving and re-entering the US?

Take a look here: