The backlog of Nexus applications in Canada has increased by hundreds of thousands, despite a sharp drop in applicants during the pandemic, which has led to a decline in frustrated travelers as clogged airports continue to overflow. .
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says 295,133 Nexus applications have yet to be processed due to ongoing office closures caused by COVID-19.
Potential holders of the program card, which allows previously approved Canadians to pass through separate and fast lines when traveling to and from the United States, must be evaluated by both the CBSA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The U.S. agency reopened its Nexus Enrollment Centers for interviewing applicants on April 19, but Canada’s centers remain closed after closing in March 2020.
The resulting delay means that some Nexus members are struggling to book sessions before their cards expire, as Canadian residents hoping to renew their status can only schedule interviews at less than a dozen border community offices. where there are few places.
Motorists are waiting to enter Canada at the Douglas-Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey, BC. The U.S. reopened its Nexus registration centers in April, but Canadian centers remain closed. (Ben Nelms / CBC)
‘Chaotic’ and frustrating
Itinerant retirees are among those exasperated by the shutdown.
“A lot of snowbirds often go to the United States. They often go back and forth, and a good number of them would be Nexus card holders, including me,” said Jill Wykes, editor of Snowbird Advisor, a resource online for snow birds.
Wykes wondered why enrollment centers remain closed when many other government offices have been open for months.
“Airports are chaotic, and if you have a Nexus you can get through it much faster, both at the border and at the airport,” he said.
“The whole situation is very frustrating, that the government did not anticipate this repressed demand, which as had been planned for two years.”
The CBSA said in an email that Canada and the US are discussing when to reopen Canadian enrollment centers.
“While the extent of the delay in 2019 is unknown, I can tell you that the delay has increased significantly from pre-pandemic levels due to the closure of enrollment centers in March 2020 due to public health, “said spokeswoman Rebecca Purdy.
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Meanwhile, the Fast program for cross-border commercial truck drivers now has a lag of 11,018, the CBSA said.
“This problem has created challenges for many cross-border fleets across Canada. While companies have learned to adapt their operations and manage their available drivers to mitigate these concerns as much as possible, the reopening of the centers is increasingly critical, “said Canadian Trucking. Alliance spokesman Marco Beghetto said in an email.
Jacques Roy, a professor of transportation management at HEC Montreal Business School, says the Nexus delay is affecting business and leisure travelers. It also adds pressure to airports that are already struggling with security shortages and endless queues.
“I really have a hard time understanding why nothing was done or processed during this period,” Roy said of the ongoing office closures.
The CBSA said it continues to conduct risk assessments remotely within its standard 30-day period for new applicants or those seeking to renew an expiring card soon.
However, once both countries have previously approved the application, “the responsibility lies with the applicant scheduling an interview with a Nexus / Fast EC [enrolment centre] using the online portal, “the agency said.
He has not set a date for when Canadian registration centers will open.
Nexus subscriptions are usually valid for five years, after which they must be renewed. The process involves a risk assessment and a selection interview, both for first-time applicants and for long-term cardholders, the CBSA said.
Nexus membership dropped by 170,814, or nine percent, to 1.73 million registered between 2020 and 2021, according to agency figures.
Between 2018 and 2019, the number of new applications had increased by almost a third to 262,125. They then fell to 172,125 in 2020 and 29,705 in 2021. However, with enrollment centers closed, the stack of partially processed applications continued to grow.
Long queues at Vancouver International Airport. “Airports are chaotic, and if you have a Nexus, you can get through much faster,” said Jill Wykes, editor of Snowbird Advisor. (Gian Paolo Mendoza / CBC)