Jerseygirl

We are lucky we have a dedicated NEXUS crossing at Whirlpool. Last time we came through Lewiston the NEXUS lane was only open for a couple of hours in the mornings and evenings.

greenlane

Although I live only about 10 miles from a bridge connecting Canada and the US, I very rarely visit the US. I did last week, though, just for a couple of hours and, as usual, was told at the border into the US to park my car and go into the border office. After about 10 minutes of waiting (there were a couple of families ahead of me), I was called to the counter and paid up my US$6 (the 'entry fee' to the States, as I call it). Then I had my fingers prints taken from both hands, then a photo taken of my face.

They then handed back my passport to me, along with my car keys (I had never had to hand over my car keys before.....don't know if they checked out the car or not, while I was in the border office). They stamped my British passport (I'm still British, though have lived in Canada for a number of years), handed it back to me, and told me that it would last for 90 days.

Steve_

I'm not clear there's any real advantage to NEXUS if you aren't Canadian/American/Mexican.

You still do have to go into secondary to do OBIM when you visit the US by land and you have to OBIM at primary by air. It might save you a little bit of time but not much. It does save time going through security domestically though.

I've found over the years that I've had one that it sometimes gets better, e.g. more NEXUS security lanes at the airport and sometimes get worse, e.g. there are more people standing in line now to use the NEXUS machine because more people have cards.

The real problem is getting an appointment to apply or renew it, it's gotten to insane proportions now, when I renewed my card I had to do it 8am on a Saturday morning. And that's in Calgary so in Vancouver or Toronto it must be a nightmare.

For land use you're probably better off getting an EDL but Alberta doesn't issue one so I have to get NEXUS.

It has definitely saved my ass on various occasions, but I did detail a problem I had at Coutts with it last year elsewhere.

CBSA seem to have become less trusting of NEXUS over the years, when it started they barely paid any attention to NEXUS members, now you're treated more like a regular traveller. Definitely helps on the American side though.

The4BellsLondon

At our highway crossed bags there are at least 2 dedicated nexus lanes, plus if my white 3 month slip hadrun out and You have to go to secondary , there's a sep Nexus line up - I've obly ever waited another 10 mins in secondary now, whilst the mainine was looking at 2 hrs!

mjwalker007

Exactly why I got one......I use Vancouver, Calgary & Edmonton airports regularly for internal flights and it saves me so much time rather than having to wait in the normal security line !! If you travel a lot for work, I think its a great thing to have !

scrubbedexpat091

Coming back into Canada last week at Pt. Roberts the Nexus lane had almost as long a wait as the normal lane did, but neither was more then 5 mins.

I don't find the border waits long enough to justify paying the fees and doing all the red tape needed.

Not enough benefit for me.

Steve_

Point Roberts is a bit of an odd border crossing because it is low volume, at Peace Arch and Pacific Highway the wait is usually a lot shorter.

If you don't fly much though I think in BC the better option might be the EDL.

scrubbedexpat091

I just get a passport, not a Canadian citizen. Using a passport isn't hard.

I never use peach arch, but Pacific always has a 5 to 10 wait for non nexus when we have crossed so nothing major.

Jerseygirl

US and Canadian citizens are eligible for NEXUS.

I suppose it depends which US/Can border crossings you use and how often you fly in and out of IS and Canadian airports. For us it is definitely worth it.

scrubbedexpat091

I meant I can't get a BC edl as I am not Canadian citizen.

We fly like every 2 or 3 years or more and we just don't cross enough. Not worth all the red tape and fees for us.

My friend who crosses weekly really benefits.

Steve_

Bit of a silly restriction.

Time to apply for Canadian citizenship then.

scrubbedexpat091

Some day, just have more important things to spend money on, its on the list of eventual things to do, but I may be saying the same thing 20 years from now...lol

My wife's mom keeps saying one day one day, and she has been here 50 years now..

withabix

Just to resurrect this one, as I don't see the answer to my question:

Do you have to have been a Permanent Resident for 3 years or be a Permanent Resident and have been living in Canada for 3 years?

i.e. if you were a TFW for 2 years and then a PR for a year, is that the qualifying 3 years, or do you have to be a PR for 3 years?

Just trying to figure if I've got to wait until the end of October 2016 (TFW + PR = 3 years) or September 2018 (3 Years PR) to get one!

Former Lancastrian

Holders of work/study permits ie TFWs & Students are not considered PRS's so not eligible to apply for NEXUS. The 3 years is for those who have been PR's for 3 years as a landed immigrant.

9. To clarify and expand the eligibility criteria for the NEXUS program, the following amendments to Section 6.1 of the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations are proposed: (a) Paragraph 6.1(a) will be amended to replace the reference to paragraphs 6(a) to (f) with a reference to paragraphs 6(a) to (e).
(b) A condition will be added requiring permanent residents of Canada within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and permanent residents of the United States to have resided only in one or more of the following countries during the three-year period preceding the day on which the application is received and up until the day on which the authorization is issued: (i) Canada or the United States;
(ii) a foreign country in which the person is serving as a member of the Canadian Forces or the United States Armed Forces;
(iii) a foreign country in which the spouse, common law partner or person of whom they are a dependent is serving at a Canadian or American diplomatic mission or consular post or serving overseas as a member of the Canadian Forces or United States Armed Forces.

(c) The residency requirement would not apply to citizens of Canada or the United States. This requirement would also not apply to children adopted abroad who hold a permanent resident status in Canada or the United States.

10. These proposed amendments apply exclusively to the NEXUS program.

Steve_

The main thing they've proposed with those regs is to make the criminal record restriction much tighter, which I told CBSA I thought was stupid because CBSA use their method of comparing a foreign offence with a domestic offence which works for simple entries but the definition they're going to use for NEXUS cards is narrower, so for example, someone convicted in Hong Kong for public disorder protesting against a totalitarian government might be precluded from getting one.

Which is mad.