NEXUS application centres reopen at 8 Canadian airports starting March 27 | 24CA News
Starting Monday, March 20, NEXUS candidates can e-book interviews at most main Canadian airports.
The enrolment centres have been closed since March 2020 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, however have been prolonged due to a diplomatic dispute over authorized protections for American customs officers.
That has led to an enormous backlog in functions.
NEXUS enrolment centres can be reopening on the following airports and dates:
March 27
Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ)
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG)
April 3
Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
April 12
Calgary International Airport (YYC)
Edmonton International Airport (YEG)
April 17
Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
April 24
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW)
Travellers who need the streamlined border-crossing advantages of a Nexus card have to go in for an enrolment centre interview held by each Canadian and U.S. officers earlier than being granted one. Thousands of travellers request NEXUS memberships every month, CBSA stated in a news launch.
The 13 Canadian enrolment centres have been closed for about one 12 months due to a dispute over authorized protections for American customs officers, together with the authority to have the ability to carry a gun whereas on responsibility.
The U.S. reopened its 13 Nexus centres in April to permit that joint interview course of to proceed as regular. But CBP insisted Canada grant its brokers the identical authorized protections they get pleasure from on U.S. soil earlier than returning to Canadian Nexus centres, which Ottawa refused to entertain.
As a workaround, Canada and the U.S. started permitting Canadian candidates to be collectively interviewed at American land border crossings to be able to start addressing a backlog that reached as excessive as 350,000 candidates by early fall 2022.
CBSA stated since Oct. 1, 2022, CBSA and CBP have accomplished greater than 300,000 NEXUS enrolments and diminished the online stock of candidates by roughly 130,000 from its peak in summer season 2022.
On the U.S. facet, the place enrolment centres have been open since April 2022, what had been a 16-month wait between making an utility and receiving a Nexus card was right down to between 12 and 14 months as of January 2023.
CBSA says the brand new enrolment choice for air travellers has two steps:
- Canadian airport enrolment centres can be staffed with CBSA officers who will full the Canadian portion of the NEXUS interview;
- The U.S. interviews are accomplished by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Canadian airport preclearance places when candidates depart Canada to fly to the U.S.
International airports in Canada that supply preclearance providers embody these in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg, in addition to Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
Conditionally-approved NEXUS candidates and renewing members who require an interview will be capable to e-book the Canadian portion of their interview at one among these airports by way of the Trusted Traveller Programs scheduler as interview occasions grow to be accessible.
Applicants have three choices for his or her NEXUS interviews:
- A joint U.S.–Canada interview at a land enrolment centre (14 places) within the U.S.
- A break up interview at a Canadian land enrolment centre (two places) adopted by an interview at a U.S. land enrolment centre
- A two-step interview at a Canadian airport enrolment centre (eight places), adopted by an interview at a U.S. preclearance location in a Canadian airport.
Existing members who renew their membership previous to the expiry date can have it prolonged for as much as 5 years to permit for the scheduling and completion of interviews, as required.
After being conditionally authorised for NEXUS, candidates have as much as 5 years to finish each the U.S. and Canadian interviews.
With information from The Canadian Press and Sean Boynton,
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