Because US FIS at Canadian airports operates under the Preclearance Act which LONG, LONG predates GlobalEntry. Any kind of modifications to the Preclearance facilities, such as to install GE kiosks, most likely would be a lengthy process of approvals by both US and Canadian authorities. Easier to keep the existing NEXUS kiosks in place.

Second, NEXUS long predates GlobalEntry too, as do the iris scanning machines. In fact, I believe that GlobalEntry was modeled off NEXUS given the success of the latter program for expediting processing of low-risk frequent travelers (and travellers!) between the USA and Canada. US CBP just decided to go with digital fingerprints instead of retinal scans (a good decision, IMHO).



(Note, however, that reverse access DOES work. NEXUS members who are US Citizens/LPRs may use GlobalEntry kiosks with minimal effort and without further cost, as long as their NEXUS membership remains in good standing. More Here)

I just love Global Entry -- it has saved my connections on multiple ocassions and gets me out of the immigration small talk (always feel awful about that when there is a long line behind me). Couple Global Entry with Smart Gate in Australia (I am a dual national) and I never have to wait in line when I move between AU and the US. For whatever reason -- Smart Gate seems to be a bit more secure (i.e. you are unable to just walk thorugh into the country). In addition, there is no registration -- it just works with the biometrics in your passport. A bit different from the US's Trusted Traveler -- but still a great solution!

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5831.asp

Last week my flight from lhr was late and i almost missed my connection in chicago. Thanks to global entry i made it from gate m4 in ord to gate h14 on the other ord side to make my flight in ....no b.s.....seventeen minutes. Even the gate agents said i made a record. Of course, i did sprint through all runnable passages and was huffing and puffing. But global entry saved my tushie. And it was ord at 415 pm so security was busy and customs was packed.

machine-readable?
 

Is machine-readable passport (required for enrollment into GE) the same as new, biometric passport?
My passport is pre-biometric, and still has 4 or so years validity on it, but I regularly see immigration officers sliding the first page through a reader. Do I need to "upgrade" my passport before I apply for GE or can I use the current one?

You can use the current one. My GE passport was issued in 2001 (well pre-biometric but comes complete with guacamole stain (don't ask)).

I received my "golden sticker" with no issues.

Greg

Thanks :)

Conditional Approval within 72 hours
 

I applied for Global Entry through the GOES system this past Monday and received my Conditional Approval today. I've scheduled my interview for next Monday at the Atlanta Port Office (will save me from having to trudge through security at the airport and trek all the way to Terminal E at ATL) as I live in Atlanta a short drive from the airport. If all goes as planned, I'll have my sticker in my passport within 7 days of my online application!

Holy crap that is fast. How did you manage that?

Non-GE Airports
 

Quick question:

Have a few arrivals (pre-clearance airports) coming up in Sept + Oct .. through canada and the bahamas..

does anyone know if the immigration officer sees (on their screen) that you are GE-approved when they scan your passport... thus avoiding long questioning... and just being waived through.

-thanks-
dd

I don't know what they see on their screens (not CBP in any way). However, I have made one arrival at a non-GE airport since getting it. When I asked about it, I was told that it did not matter. Whether there is a kiosk or not, GE members are treated exactly the same if they use a live CBP officer, once they get to the CBP officer (obviously, in a GE airport, the CBP sticker gets expedited service in the event of a kiosk failure, but that only gets you to the CBP officer, not expedited past the CBP officer).

Maybe Firebug4, as our resident CBP poster, can add some details.

GAL
 

I guess you did not notice the atlGAL! My wife applied Sunday night got conditional approval Wednesday afternoon. I applied last week, hope to see an e-mail next week at the earliest:)

Sliding the passport reads the machine-readable data in the digits along the bottom of the page with your picture on it. The biometric data on the RFID chip can be read without swiping the passport, just having it near the reader. It also contains more information.

Anyway, as noted above you don't need a biometric passport for GE.

The kiosk does not stamp your passport.

I don't buy that. As long as there is a network connection and power, CBP should be able install whatever they want in their pre-clearance hall.

I make a point of presenting my passport with the CBP sticker showing, and it makes no difference.

Interestingly, after extensive review of the cbp.gov WHTI web pages I determined that when using Canada pre-clearance, I could get away with presenting just my green card to enter the U.S. I did that on Monday from YYC, and not only did it work, but they question I got asked was "business or personal". This was the easiest entry into the US from Canada in at least 20 years. As my green card, and not my passport, is tied to GE, that might have something to do with it.

I'm never presenting my passport again when entering from Canada or Mexico.

It's not "their pre-clearance hall." CBP simply staffs it to process passengers, presumably paying some form of rent for its use of the space. Security is the responsibility of the local airport authority. CBP officers stationed at Pre-Clearance facilities in Canada have more limited powers than those stationed at facilities within the USA.

The Pre-Clearance inspection areas, and the holding areas beyond, are still Canadian territory and subject to Canadian law. It says so in small print on signs right at the entrance to the YYZ Pre-Clearance area, and I'm assuming all others as well. Entering a Pre-Clearance area does NOT mean legally entering the USA. Pre-Clearance areas are still under Canadian jurisdiction.

An intricate, 15-page law known as the Preclearance Act (S.C. 1999, ch 20) legislates how these facilities operate. It is available at http://laws.justice.gc.ca

For example, Canadian authorities CAN arrest travelers inside the Pre-Clearance area for offenses under Canadian law, even if those travelers have been processed and admitted to the USA, and even if the offenses in question would not be offenses under U.S. law.

So, I think it would not be easy for CBP to introduce some new technology into these areas without substantial work on the part of both governments.

Well it has been easy so far.

Do you think CBP asked permission of the Canadian government to install cameras and fingerprint scanners when it introduced U.S. VISIT procedures? Do you think if CBP decided to install a GE kiosk in several of the unstaffed booths in Canadian airports, that the Canadian government's permission would be needed?

NEXUS is different because it is a joint Canada/U.S. program. GE, like U.S. VISIT is not a joint program.