I have a vacation planned 6 weeks from now. Possible to get a Nexus card in that time? Would like to save myself from pain-in-the-ass American security and their lineups.
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I have a vacation planned 6 weeks from now. Possible to get a Nexus card in that time? Would like to save myself from pain-in-the-ass American security and their lineups.
No. Pretty much impossible. The background checks take about that time alone, and theres no way around it. I have an aircrew pass as well which has the same backgrounding done that I need to renew 6 months beforehand, just to get the backgrounding done on time and thats an employment requirement, not a request. After that you wait for an appointment for the "interview", which in calgary is usually 4-6 months out as well. You can risk trying to head to the airport and request being processed as a "walk in" at the office there, but you do risk being turned away as well.
Otherwise, if they're doing a "blitz" like they've done in the past couple years, you get processed, interviewed, etc at once and you wait for the background but its significantly faster
No, won't happen. Took me 2 months just to get pre-approved for the interview.
I second this...Quote:
Originally posted by BigShow
No, won't happen. Took me 2 months just to get pre-approved for the interview.
Application to conditional approval for me was 1 month and 4 weeks.
After conditional approval: the interviews for booking are usually 8 months out. However if you check the online booking system you can snag cancelled appointments.
In my case, I snagged a cancelled appointment 1-2 times per day for ~8 days, each day getting closer than the 8 months (ie. 7 months, 5 months, 4 months, 3 months, 2 months, etc, etc...).
Ultimately I had my interview 8 days after my conditional approval.
I was thinking of applying for this. Is it something they only give you if you frequently travel or occasional travel suffices? I'd just like to get it to avoid the lines every now and then when I travel.
This was from a couple years ago. I'd guess wait times are no better and probably worse now.
http://forums.beyond.ca/st/383196/ne...iew-wait-time/
No, as long as you're a pretty low risk traveler there's no reason why they'd deny you.Quote:
Originally posted by shakalaka
I was thinking of applying for this. Is it something they only give you if you frequently travel or occasional travel suffices? I'd just like to get it to avoid the lines every now and then when I travel.
Jesus.
Well I may as well file now and forget about it, maybe it'll get approved just in time for some other trip.
What's the deal with the wait time though? Is there really that much volume of applicants? Or do they just like to make you suffer?
It's pretty simple. The older you are, the longer it takes.
Get it while you are young. Even renewals take weeks.
Then weeks for the interview.
That makes a world of sense actually. More years of shit to dig up in a background check,
Two questions about Nexus:
1) Is it better to apply before or after a passport renewal?
2) How would nexus handle having a different name on your passport ( which hasn't expired yet) due to marriage?
I would like to get the ball rolling on a nexus card but both mine and my wife's passports expire next year and I am not sure how that affects the process.
I had my card in hand in about 6 or 7 weeks?? (Can't remember exact time frame). This was spring of last year.Quote:
Originally posted by Zhariak
I second this...
Application to conditional approval for me was 1 month and 4 weeks.
After conditional approval: the interviews for booking are usually 8 months out. However if you check the online booking system you can snag cancelled appointments.
In my case, I snagged a cancelled appointment 1-2 times per day for ~8 days, each day getting closer than the 8 months (ie. 7 months, 5 months, 4 months, 3 months, 2 months, etc, etc...).
Ultimately I had my interview 8 days after my conditional approval.
Conditional approval took about a month. Earliest interview for Calgary was 4 months out, so I expanded my search for Edmonton and Coutts.
Coutts had an opening the week after, but I kept checking, and managed to snag an appointment in Edmonton 4 days later. Interview took all of 5 minutes, and card was received a week later.
Processing times are dependent on each individual, and amount of applications currently ahead of you. I would think you are SOL in getting it in 6 weeks, but never hurts to try.
1) makes no difference.Quote:
Originally posted by killramos
Two questions about Nexus:
1) Is it better to apply before or after a passport renewal?
2) How would nexus handle having a different name on your passport ( which hasn't expired yet) due to marriage?
I would like to get the ball rolling on a nexus card but both mine and my wife's passports expire next year and I am not sure how that affects the process.
2) probably makes a difference. Why is she travelling with the wrong name?
Because the passport expires next year and she has to go through the full application process again to change her name on the passport ( as opposed to renewal), wants to get the most use out of this one before paying the fee again. Being lazy is also a contributing factor that cannot be ignored.
It took her a year to change her drivers license and AB healthcare card as a reference.
Not saying its a good reason, just is what it is.
Best i can tell you can travel with conflicting documents all you want so long as you keep a copy of your marriage cert with you. I just figure nexus would be more of sticklers.
I'll give them a call to see how they would handle it before starting an application.
For reference, this was posted on RFD today
http://i65.tinypic.com/2mcsn4j.png
Pretty sure there are fines for not updating your name on your documents if you get caught.Quote:
Originally posted by killramos
Because the passport expires next year and she has to go through the full application process again to change her name on the passport ( as opposed to renewal), wants to get the most use out of this one before paying the fee again. Being lazy is also a contributing factor that cannot be ignored.
It took her a year to change her drivers license and AB healthcare card as a reference.
Not saying its a good reason, just is what it is.
Best i can tell you can travel with conflicting documents all you want so long as you keep a copy of your marriage cert with you. I just figure nexus would be more of sticklers.
I'll give them a call to see how they would handle it before starting an application.
The whole process is pretty nebulous so i can't see how they could fine you. At this point shit is half and half for her between all the different procedures and wait times for different documents.
Drivers license there is a fine for example, but its also much simpler to update than your passport.
Both are legal names at this point, its just a lot easier to have them all in one.
Big one for the passport was getting a new birth cert for citizenship confirmation which took a while. That had to be before the passport.
Personally i agree with you and I would have taken care of all this shit a year ago. It was a pain in the ass booking our last trip as I had to use different names for different shit. There is a reason i put literally everything in my name.
They can take your card and kick you out of the program for 1 year if you don't update your personal information. You'd then have to reapply.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/term-eng.html
It doesn't handle different names. Your wife can apply for Nexus now, but she will have to enter in the information from her existing passport. Once she renews it next year with the new last name, she will have to go and update it in person.Quote:
Originally posted by killramos
2) How would nexus handle having a different name on your passport ( which hasn't expired yet) due to marriage?
I would like to get the ball rolling on a nexus card but both mine and my wife's passports expire next year and I am not sure how that affects the process.
Edit: There may be something in the agreement during the application that she confirms the information is valid and accurate. If she applies with a passport that has incorrect info, she may run into trouble in the future. In other words, apply after with the updated passport.
My passport doesn't have my middle/Chinese name. Nor does my SIN/CRA/tax info. My drivers license and my birth certificate does. They said it doesn't really matter, but technically my legal name includes my middle name because of my birth certificate, and hence my Nexus has my middle name even though my passport doesn't. They said it's not a huge deal but if I add my middle name to my passport I have to update it through the portal.
I got my nexus card in 2-3 weeks, but maybe it was quicker because I have a couple different work visas? I'm only guessing, but the process was quick, maybe it was just good timing.
My passport is for 5 years (got it just before the 10 year came out) and the nexus card is set to expire the same time as my passport.
If you get a new passport, you need to update your nexus information with the new passport number and expiry date. Just sign in to GOES, and it takes 2 minutes.
A friend of mine got hers in 2 months, mine took about 6. She lucked out though, for some reason she got a call pretty quick had an interview date and then just checked GOES everyday for someone who had dropped out of their interview slot and she snagged it.
edit: it also seemed like when I applied they were still working out all the kinks n such, she applied a couple years after me and it went super smooth for her.
^what time is best to check GOES for cancelled/rescheduled appointments, morning or afternoon?
I submitted my NEXUS in June, didn't get a response back until August and my interview is Dec 23.
My wife applied the week afterwards and her interview right now is on Jan 8.
Doesn't really matter. People can drop out any time of the day. Just keep checking whenever you remember to.Quote:
Originally posted by taemo
^what time is best to check GOES for cancelled/rescheduled appointments, morning or afternoon?
I submitted my NEXUS in June, didn't get a response back until August and my interview is Dec 23.
My wife applied the week afterwards and her interview right now is on Jan 8.
cool, just randomly checked GOES 20min ago and was able to reschedule from Dec 23 to Dec 6.Quote:
Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Doesn't really matter. People can drop out any time of the day. Just keep checking whenever you remember to.
Ill keep checking when I remember to.
Coming up on 2 months for mine and its still processing. Will keep an eye out once its done to see if I can push the interview ahead
FYI: They will process both applications at the first appointment, your wife won't have to wait until Jan 8th.Quote:
Originally posted by taemo
^what time is best to check GOES for cancelled/rescheduled appointments, morning or afternoon?
I submitted my NEXUS in June, didn't get a response back until August and my interview is Dec 23.
My wife applied the week afterwards and her interview right now is on Jan 8.
Checked in today and found an available appointment for next friday, woot.
It's been over a year since I got mine so I can't remember; do they have times available on the weekend? I want to get a card for my daughter but taking her in the week would be problematic.
do you mean both wife and i can go and process our applications on my appointment?Quote:
Originally posted by kenny
FYI: They will process both applications at the first appointment, your wife won't have to wait until Jan 8th.
I applied in September, got conditional approval on October 28, and scheduled a March 2017 appointment. A week later I found an appointment for November 10. Went and completed it all yesterday.
Yes. Don't cancel hers or anything just in case they changed their policy but have her come with you on your appt and then ask them if they can process both.Quote:
Originally posted by taemo
do you mean both wife and i can go and process our applications on my appointment?
Has anyone gone through the renewal process lately? I got an email saying I was due for a renewal back in March and went through the process immediately. My Nexus membership expires in about 3 weeks and the renewal application is still sitting in Pending Review.
Just renewed mine recently. It was pretty fast. I renewed online around February 21 and within 3 weeks I got approved and a new card sent. I didn’t need to come in for an interview again, and the card is activated online.
My kids had to go in for an interview which we scheduled mid April and the new cards came about 2 weeks after.
I read that they are/were backlogged from the Govt shutdown. Mine expired in March, I renewed a couple weeks before expiry (supposed to renew 90 days prior minimum, oops!) and it took about 5-6 weeks total to get approved. I don't know the exact time since I didn't get a notification e-mail, it wasn't until I logged back in to check that I saw that it was approved.
Interesting timing, I’ve been travelling a lot more lately and am considering a nexus, what kind of questions do they ask you?
Thanks guys. Yeah I kinda suspected the delay may have been related to the shutdown. I'm not traveling to the US until July and since I'm traveling with people who don't have Nexus it's not a big deal if I have a valid card. I was just more concerned that if the membership had lapsed, I'd have to go through the whole application process again.
Nothing unusual. I think the biggest question is why do you want one.
The wife and I have had one since I last posted in this thread and I love it. It's come in handy on a couple of occasions quite a bit when landing in Canada the lines up's have been ridiculous! I just roll up like a G and walk past everyone and through customs in a jiffy! Although a few weeks ago when returning to Edmonton from Italy, majority of the Nexus machines were not functioning so it was pretty crappy but still way way quicker than having to through the regular line.
I haven't truly used it in order to skip the security line though yet as every time I went there the line ups haven't been that long. All in all I enjoy having it and definitely something that's worthwhile.
Not sure many people know, but you can bring a guest through the nexus line with you at security. My wife doesn't have hers yet and they have no issue letting us both in that line. And now that returning to Canada is all automated in most places, it's pretty quick going through the regular simpleton line at immigration anyway.
Can we still cross the border normally while the Nexus application is in process? I really want to apply but I go to the US every couple months and not sure if I'd have to stay in Canada for the entire 6 months while it processes
My son’s card lapsed before we renewed. They renewed his the same as the rest of us. He had to come in for the interview like my other kids, but it was really only to update photos. We were in and out in no time at the interview which was really to confirm their ID and update photos.
Not a renewal but a new sign-up. It's been "pending review" for 2 months now. When I signed up they had something saying due to Trump's government shutdown there was an enormous backlog, so I've just assumed it was that. My GF signed up a few days before me though and has an interview booked so it's definitely weird.
All you guys stuck in the backlog are there for a reason - the Trump government knows you smelled weed that one time in your life!
This reminds me I should start my renewal lol
Security in Canada is different than immigration into the US. You can't use that line if you don't have a card. If CATSA makes an exception for flying domestic, it's no big deal as you go through the same security requirements here in Canada (laptop must come out and go in it's own bin).
In the US, TSA Pre, which is trusted traveller allows you to leave all your shit (including you laptop) in your bag and just walk through the metal detector. I have not seen TSA agents allow not TSA Pre passengers through that line. They always get turned away.
questions during the application/interview process or through the airport?
for the application process, when you schedule for an interview it basically means that you are approved and they will just do an iris and fingerprint scan.
through the airport, it's the typical custom form.
Weird, your post made me look for where it says that and I couldn't find it. While I was on the website, I decided to log in to see if there was any progress on my renewal and it turns out I got renewed a couple days ago but they didn't even send me an email about it. Looks like I don't even have to go in for an interview. Just activate my card when it comes in the mail.
So I applied for the renewal on March 15 and got approved May 29.
I basically never use my nexus at border crossings because of this. It’s hard to keep track of the many things you are not allowed to do, and they have zero tolerance. The rules are different depending which way you travel too. Only time I know it is safe is air travel when you have absolutely nothing to declare and no food.
"If you submitted a renewal application before expiration of your current membership, then you can continue to use your benefits until the renewal is finalized (up to 6 months after your expiration date)."
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...cbp-receive-my
I checked again today and I'm still "pending review". It's been months now. Still getting the notice about Trump's shutdown delaying things.
Mine's been "Pending Review" since February - is there any way to check the reason for the hold up? I am sure something is wrong at this point.
My GF applied a couple days before I did and she already has her card. It came less than a week after the interviews.
I have pending review as well but its only been a few weeks. I will update if that changes.
Mine has changed to pending interview FYI.
Any luck?
Wife and I both just got our renewal approval in ~6 weeks.
Our sons application was approved in days but he needs an interview.
I need to get this. For the TSApre line alone it would be worthwhile.
So tehre was some discussion, but if one person has the card, can anyone else come with you? Wife/kids etc? Or everyone needs it?
So I finally got my Nexus card in late August - the interviews were a joke (I didn't even know my Canada side interview was an interview because all they did was ask my name), but I finally have it now. Hopefully the wait times are shorter now for you folks just starting the process, mine was about 7 months.
And no you can't bring people with you with your Nexus - if you do that you lose it. Everyone needs their own card.
That makes sense, but I'm sure someone mentioned they could.
It depends where you want to take people through. Before I got my daughter her own NEXUS card I asked at security and they let her come with me through the NEXUS security line. For immigration though, no, don't do that. everyone needs their own card. If you ever drive down, everyone in the car has to have their own card too.
On the Nexus security line, you may be at the mercy on the staff operating the line but they will hopefully be less strict than immigration, where everyone needs to have their own card.
One thing I learned with a toddler that has a nexus card but no retina scan is that you will still need to go through the immigration officer.
You have to no matter what.
TSAPre requires the boarding pass to have the checkmark. They won't let you through without it, so everyone has to have Nexus.
Just submit the application for everyone now. When you get 1 interview, they sometimes allow everyone to come at the same time.
well, got my application submitted. Let's see how long this takes.
Nice.
I'm still awaiting conditional approval, but once I get that, maybe my fastest route is to do the "Enrollment on Arrival (EoA) program". Wonder what the process for that is?Quote:
Originally Posted by USA Trusted Traveller Program Website
EDIT: Looked it up and the hours seem pretty friendly at IAH anyway:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enrollment On Arrival
I'm just a few days under two months, still pending review. Sigh.
I wonder if the system got crazy backed up? I started my application early June, had my interview in 2-3 weeks, approved in 1 day and got my card in the mail shortly after...
Still haven't used it either :cry:
Did my renewal 2 weeks ago, got approved and new card arrived yesterday. #winning
Can anyone confirm if they let you us only Nexus now to travel to the US without needing to provide a passport? Someone recently told me they forgot their passport at home and was still able to fly to the US (and back) with only their Nexus card.
Your nexus has your passport information on it, so you should be able to.
Bad advice, you need to travel with passport. They'll revoke your Nexus card if you travel without your passport and get busted for it. Besides, they're upgrading machines right now to facial recognition so you HAVE to use your passport as well on the first try. Then it'll facial scan you, after which you don't need to use your passport to get through (but still need to carry with you).
edit - oops guess I was wrong, travel between US and Canada via pre-clearance area is an exception and is allowed. Either way, you need your passport for your first entry with the updated machines.
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/faq-eng.html
Yeah, tried the updated machines and for some reason my NEXUS card wouldn't work on them but the old ones work fine?
Then I got an email to re-activate my card. Whatevz.
I thought I'd be a keener and applied for my renewal in June and it still hasn't been approved. Expires in January, so I guess I'll check in the new year.
I think you technically can travel with out it. But I have heard a lot of airlines have been dicks about it and it turns into a massive hassle.
Nexus is probably the biggest pile of bad information that exists. When I applied event that CBSA guy that interviewed me insisted I needed my passport when using Nexus.
Just bring your passport.
I’m a bit disenchanted in the program lately, sure the nexus line is shorter. But there are only 5-6 machines. Versus the plebe longer line with 50 machines. Usually when I travel with non nexus friends I don’t even beat them through.