Canadians who want a Nexus card will have to travel to U.S. to get it
A Nexus card is supposed to help put low-risk Canadians on the fast track when crossing the U.S. border, but at least 330,000 Canadians aren’t sure when their applications will be processed.
"It's been a major disappointment, because it's taking so long," said Toronto resident Margaret Cassidy, who applied for a Nexus card in 2019.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Raichelle Hum, also of Toronto, applied for a Nexus card more than two years ago and has no idea when she can get the necessary in-person interview to finish the process.
"I travel periodically to the U.S. for work and my husband already has a Nexus card so for us it would make travelling a lot easier,” Hum said.
Nexus is a Canada-U.S. program designed to help speed up cross-border travel for low-risk Canadians by land, air and sea.
Nexus enrolment centres in Canada have been closed since March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and health restrictions.
A Canada Border Services Agency officer speaks with a traveller at the Nexus office at the airport in Ottawa, Tuesday May 8, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
However, in the U.S., enrolment centres opened in April of this year, meaning if Canadians want to finish their Nexus application they have to travel to the U.S. to do it.
READ MORE: This is what Toronto Pearson wants you to know as Canada's new travel rules come into effect
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said, “At this time, enrolment centres in Canada will remain closed.”
The Canada Border Services Agency told CTV News, “Canadian citizens and permanent residents can book their enrollment interviews at any U.S. Nexus enrolment centres.”
Until further notice, if you want to finish your application for a Nexus card you’ll have to travel to a U.S. border city for the interview process.
That’s what Cassidy plans to do as she finally has an interview set up in mid-July in Niagara Falls, New York to finish her application.
"There have been so many delays along the way and everybody was in the dark. I still don't know why the Canadian side is not open,” Cassidy said.
Meanwhile, Hum said she still has no idea when she may be able to get her Nexus application approved.
“I'm unsure when I’ll be able to get an interview. It's very challenging to find one," she said.
It's not clear why Nexus offices in Canada remain closed when they've been open in the U.S. since April.
Canadians who are unable to use the speedier Nexus lines are also adding to the backlogs and security delays at border crossings and airports.
Officials say they're in discussions with the U.S. as to when enrolment centres may re-open in Canada, but anyone applying to get a Nexus card should expect major delays.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.