My experience at SFO is just like yours. Never inspected before GE, about 30% customs inspection rate after GE. I now fill out the regular immigration form on the plane, and if there's no line, I go through immigration and skip GE. I've never been inspected by customs when I do that, so this technique would seem to get me out of the airport faster.

On the other hand, there could be some rational explanation that we're not aware of, like "higher rate of illegal imports at SFO" or "US-wide increase in the number of customs inspections"...

Can anyone confirm that I have the following facts right...

- If I get NEXUS (for $50) I get GE for free, and I get exactly the same GE benefits that I would get if I paid $100 for GE.

- To get NEXUS I have to go to a Canada airport for an interview

- After I get NEXUS approval, I *don't* need to go to another interview at a USA airport in order to get GE approval (?)


And then a question - how easy/quick is it to schedule the Canada interview, and are they open weekends? I live in Seattle, so driving up to Vancouver is not too difficult, but I'd ideally love to be able to just do it on the spur of the moment, like deciding on Wednesday to drive up for the weekend and scheduling our interviews for Saturday, etc. Is that possible?

You don't have to go to a Canadian airport to do your interview. You can do it at any US/Canadian border crossing, or they have offices in some larger cities, including Boeing Field there in Seattle. I think they only do interviews during the week though.

In Seattle you can do the interview at BFI, up in Blaine, YVR or downtown Vancouver BC. You do have to schedule a way out though, although things occasionally pop up close in if people cancel.

If you go to someplace out of the way, like the crossing in Pembina, North Dakota or Saskatoon, or Detroit, you can schedule next day.

That's fantastic, thanks. If I can do it at Boeing I don't need to worry about scheduling it on short notice.

I live in the US, I signed up or NEXUS first for $50. Went to Toronto for my interview and Iris scan. While there they added GE to my record. I have access to both now. I used NEXUS twice this weekend and worked great with no problems and saved me from missing a flight since I did not have to wit. Totally worth it

No NEXUS interviews in Saskatoon, sorry. Not even any US preclearance at the airport. GE is very handy when flying from Saskatoon to Chicago though.

Probably the easiest way to check for compliance is to flag every 1000th, or 2000th, or whatever, passenger through the GE kiosk. I think you were just unlucky. To have more custom check of GE travellers runs counter to the spirit of the program.

Oops! I guess I misread the list and thought Sault Ste Marie said "Saskatoon." :o

Wilp888, I think you're right that I was just unlucky 2x.

Janus, last week when the kiosk flagged me I was returning from ICN via NRT. The time before when I was flagged at baggage claim, I'm sure it was random as the agent was just randomly picking people after they retrieved their bags.

Boberonicus, your strategy is good of not using the kiosk if the regular immigration line is short. :)

My first experience last night with GE kiosks being down at ATL. Mrs. GHF recently got her GE, so we were looking forward to both using it to avoid the ATL lines. On board, the FA wasn't going to give us a blue form since we were GE, but I insisted. Good thing...

Upon arrival at ATL, the gate agent meeting the plane stated that GE kiosks were down and all pax, including GE, had to have a blue form.

We got into the immigration hall to lines that extended back almost to the escalators. Told my wife to head for the machines, and we'd jump to the front. Well, almost. The crew line was 50 people deep, and they were processing the foreign crews at about 2-3 minutes per (ouch). The next line over was apparently a VIP line (?) and it had 2-3 folks in it. I assumed they were GE folks, so we took our place in that line. Turned out that they were foreign pax, they processed 2 (at about 2 minutes per), and the third was sent to secondary.

Immigration agent was glad to see 2 Americans, and noted that the fingerprint scanners were taking "forever" to return a response, and he thought that the problem with the booth fingerprint scanners was related to the GE kiosk issue. With carry-on, Customs was a breeze, and we got the TSA line with no strip-search machine.

10 minutes end-to-end, about 5 minutes longer than "normal" when GE is working.

The earlier flight to IAD had not left, DL gate agent accommodated us (there were even 2 F seats available....) and we got home 3 hours early.

Just got to use GE for the first time last night (along with Mrs jasonvr). Had an ID connection in IAH (returning from CUN). Connection was 90 minutes (MCT is 75 at IAH) which really didn't leave much room for error.

After the long walk to the immigration hall from our gate we immediately spotted the bank of empty GE machines (nice signage directing you there). Within 30 seconds we were both done and proceeding out to the baggage carousels. At that point we saw the regular lines and they weren't pretty (not awful, but would have made the connection uncomfortable). As we were exiting only one other person approached the kiosks - a pilot.

We got out to carousel and in within minutes our bag was out. Then out thru the GE/crew line to recheck the bag. I am 99.9% sure that we had rechecked our bag before anyone else on the flight had even cleared immigration.

My wife, who usually does not get excited by things like this, had only one thing to say - "That was amazing". I think that comparing this to the mess we faced in ORD coming back from Europe, and the complete disaster we faced in LAX coming back from Turkey, is what swayed her opinion the most :D

Even managed to make it to the United Club to grab a bit of food, drink, and internet before heading to our connecting flight.

Even if we never use it again, it has already paid for itself. Of course, we plan more international travel within the 5 year validity period, so it will just pay for itself again and again!

Global entry experience at YVR
 

YVR recently added GE. It has been several years since I departed YVR for USA destination and was surprised to find that unlike my last such departure from YVR and recent departures from YYC and YEG (the latter two this year), one clears security screening before CBP. It appeared that checked bags are loaded onto the plane while one is dealing with CBP, which must be a mess when CBP refuses an entry. Otoh, YVR has been different from other pre clearance airports for some time given that after clearing CBP you departure area is basically a shopping mall and a license to blow the $800 exemption, which when the Canadian dollar drops well below the USD, expect many people to leverage.

Any way, unlike YYC and YEG there is no ridiculous requirement that your flight must be departing within two hours before proceeding to the gates. Very nice since there is a *G lounge in the trans order gate area.

Once you get through security there is clear signage for nexus and GE. The two GE kiosks are to the left of the two nexus kiosks, and all four kiosks are on the right hand side of the CBP hall.

Unlike a CBP arrival at a USA airport, after using the kiosk, even if you have no X, you are processed at a booth that is staffed by a CBP officer. :td: However, all he does is stamp your GE receipt and look at your BP. He had zero interest in my green card, reasoning that the kiosk verified it. ^ And you do get front of line access.

Unlike YYC and YEG, there is a CBP officer collecting customs cards before exiting the CBP hall. For what possible reason I have no idea, because they can't inspect checked bags because it is a sterile area (CATSA has already screened pax by that point). There is front of line access for nexus, but no sign saying it is for GE. I made the assumption it was for GE too, and provided my stamped GE receipt. Again, the CBP officer had no interest in my green card or CBP sticker.

Overall, I was quite happy with the process. YYC is a total pain these days, and someday I hope GE comes to Alberta.

YUL Global Entry
 

I read in a separate thread the GE Kiosks were not installed at YUL US Customs Pre-Clearance by the intended September time frame and they weren't present in October.

Has anyone departed YUL for the US and observed the Global Entry Kiosks available for use? I have tried the search feature to find out, but to no avail.

Admittedly I haven't read all 51 pages of this thread. But.. I am curious. How often are you sent into secondary (customs) screening when you leave the customs area with your GE printed ticket? I've probably flown into the country 30 times since I joined the program and have always been waved by when I presented the ticket. It's a huge time saver mind you. Granted, even before GE, I was never once sent to secondary screening - but I'm curious, with your GE ticket, have you ever been sent into secondary screening?

If so, which airport?

I was just trying to think, and I'm sure I'm cursing myself by even answering this question... :)

In all the times I've entered the US, by land or by air, with GE or NEXUS or without, I've never been secondarily screened. (At the Saskatchewan land crossings into ND and MT they often have you pop your trunk and have a quick look while they ask you questions, but I've never had them go further than that.)

I've never been secondarily screened entering Canada either, for that matter.

I suspect it's inevitable, but if you seem honest (and the best way to seem honest is to *be* honest) I suspect it'll be a rare occurrence.