Starting November 29, 2021, interviews will resume for NEXUS
and U.S./Canada FAST applicants in the United States and Canada,
according to an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) on Monday and an email received from the Canada
Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Wednesday.
The CBP
announcement stated the following:
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Customs and
Border Protection is pleased to announce that the NEXUS and
U.S./Canada FAST enrollment centers in the United States will
reopen on November 29, 2021. It should be noted, however, that the
NEXUS and FAST enrollment centers in Canada will continue to be
closed until further notice.
Starting today, conditionally approved applicants may schedule
interviews at available NEXUS and U.S./Canada FAST enrollment
centers in the United States. Appointments must be booked
through the Trusted Traveler portal: https://ttp.dhs.gov/ and will have dates
available starting November 29.
Applicants entering the U.S. to complete their interview must
meet all applicable travel requirements: Fact Sheet: Guidance for Travelers to Enter the
U.S. at Land Ports of Entry and Ferry Terminals | Homeland Security
(dhs.gov) CBP asks all applicants to be patient with the
system as there is large backlog of applications to be processed by
a limited number of open enrollment centers. In order to prioritize
new applicants needing interviews, CBP is asking existing NEXUS and
FAST members to refrain from booking an appointment at this time.
However, existing members are encouraged to renew their membership
before their expiry date on their cards to maintain their
membership privileges until able to complete their interviews at a
later time.
NEXUS is a program run jointly between the Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA) and Customs and Border Protection. It is
designed to speed up border crossings for low-risk, pre-approved
travelers into Canada and the United States. FAST is a joint
program between the CBSA and CBP that enhances border and trade
security while making cross-border commercial shipments simpler and
subject to fewer delays.
Interested travelers can apply through the Trusted Traveler Programs website. The
non-refundable application fee for a five-year FAST membership is
$50 and applications must be submitted online. Once the applicant
successfully passes a background check, a CBP officer will conduct
an interview with the applicant at select locations in the U.S. to
make a final eligibility determination.
The CBSA email stated the following:
Dear NEXUS Member,
We wanted to provide you with updates on many developments within the NEXUS program.
We wanted to provide you with updates on many developments within the NEXUS program.
NEXUS and FAST interviews will resume at enrolment
centres in the United States (US) on November 29, 2021. Applicants
wishing to schedule interviews can now do so at their nearest US
enrolment centre through the Trusted Traveller Programs system. NEXUS
and FAST enrolment centres in Canada continue to be closed.
Existing NEXUS and FAST members who renew their membership
before the expiry date on their card will retain membership
privileges until they can complete their interview. Please renew
your membership before it expires to avoid losing your
privileges.
We are pleased to inform you that Toronto Pearson Airport
recently installed electronic processing gates (e-gates) for NEXUS
travellers. Located in Terminal 1, these new e-gates are reserved
for travellers over the age of 16 and utilize RFID chip technology
and facial biometrics to expedite your process. Families with
children are invited to use the existing NEXUS kiosks for expedited
processing. All members are asked to ensure they have activated
their membership card in the online membership portal prior to
arrival. For information on how to activate your card, please
visit CBP Customer Service. For more details on
NEXUS air processing, please visit the CBSA NEXUS webpage.
At this time NEXUS services remain available at major
international airports and most NEXUS highway lanes. Please consult
the NEXUS Land web page for updates and more
information.
Before you plan to travel, check to see if you qualify as fully
vaccinated, and learn about the mandatory requirements to enter
or return to Canada such as having a valid pre-entry COVID-19 molecular test result
and submitting your mandatory information into ArriveCAN, including your proof of
vaccination. Antigen tests, often called "rapid
tests" are not accepted.
Finally, an improved user experience for exempt essential service providers is now available in ArriveCAN. This means that exempt travellers, such as cross-border workers and essential service providers, are able to save time by entering their mandatory information in ArriveCAN once and using the same ArriveCAN receipt for each entry into Canada as long as their information does not change. Travellers using the mobile App must ensure they have the most up-to-date version available in the Google Play Store or the App Store for iPhone.
Please see the provided links for more information on how to
schedule an interview.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.