NEXUS offices reopen at YVR, but applicants warned of 2-step process | 24CA News
British Columbians hoping to get their palms on a NEXUS card to ease cross -border journey lastly have an enrolment possibility in Metro Vancouver, although the method may not be as simple as some had been hoping.
The NEXUS enrolment centre on the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) reopened on Monday, and the Canada Border Service Agency says it hopes the ability will assist clear a large backlog of purposes that’s piled up over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to have more interviews opening up from May onwards and our operation will be running seven days a week,” mentioned CBSA Acting Chief of Operations at YVR Manbir Moore.
“So slowly but surely this will help with the backlog and we will catch up.”
Would-be candidates, nevertheless, are being warned that the airport enrolment centre operates as a two-step course of.
Applicants will need to have a legitimate flight ticket to a U.S. vacation spot booked on the identical date as their interview with CBSA officers. They should then proceed via safety as regular, and conduct a second interview with a U.S. official within the U.S. pre-clearance space of the airport.
NEXUS enrolment centres have been closed since March 2020 because of the pandemic, and as of March 1 the estimated NEXUS waitlist sat at 269,000.
The U.S. absolutely reopened its 13 NEXUS enrolment places of work final April, however Canada’s 13 services haven’t resumed joint interviews with U.S. and Canadian officers amid a dispute over authorized protections for American customs officers in Canada, together with the authority to have the ability to carry a gun.
For the final 12 months, that has left would-be candidates in B.C. with a single possibility — attending the U.S. border crossing at Blaine for a joint interview with U.S. and Canadian border officers.
Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer based mostly in Blaine Washington, informed Global News the reopening of airport enrolment centres could assist to chip away on the backlog, however that he’s already listening to a number of confusion in regards to the two-step course of.
“You first have to book a flight on the same day as your Canadian NEXUS interview, time that out, then you have to go through security. That may take an hour or so because you don’t have a NEXUS card. You then go and speak to an American officer,” he mentioned.
“So you’re waiting for your second interview after you’ve gone through customs, your plane may be taking off soon, and now you have to do that second interview and hopefully not miss your flight … seems like a lot of jumping through hoops.”
Saunders mentioned the two-step course of will seemingly work for individuals who journey often to the U.S. and have flexibility about after they can ebook their flights.
But he mentioned he had questions on how many individuals could find yourself finishing their Canadian interview, however not the second half within the U.S. pre-clearance space.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to those people, if they’re going to be put at the back of the line and have to reapply,” he mentioned.
“I think it’s going to make a lot of people frustrated.”
Moore mentioned anybody reserving their appointment on the YVR NEXUS workplace will get an e mail with clear instructions, and urged them to learn the knowledge all over.
You can be taught extra about the way to apply for or renew a NEXUS card on the CBSA’s web site.
— with information from Emily Mertz
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
