In March 2020, the Nexus program shuttered offices on both sides of the Canada-US border.
Canadians attempting to renew their memberships were offered a two-year extension on their current cards, because it was impossible to conduct the required in-person interviews during the pandemic.
“It’s almost ironic, everyone got a two-year extension when nobody was travelling,” said immigration lawyer Len Saunders. “People weren’t using their Nexus cards or if they were, there was literally no traffic at the border. So now we have the borders re-opening, and all these two-year extensions are now expiring.”
Last week, Nexus offices in the United States re-opened for interviews for both Canadians and Americans. But the Nexus enrollment centers in Canada remain closed, and with a backlog of 270,000 applicants, some Canadian members are finding it impossible to book interviews before their two-year extension runs out.
The CEO of Vancouver-based Life 360 Innovations, Robert Orr, is one Nexus member whose extension has expired. He was conditionally approved for a five-year renewal in February 2020, but the pandemic prevented him from completing the required interview. He wasn’t able to book one in Blaine, Wash. until this August.
“It’s incredibly frustrating,” Orr said. “We are being punished for something that’s outside of our control. And that just seems to be wrong.”
Saunders blames the Canadian and US governments for not working together.
“I’m not surprised the whole Nexus program is in chaos,” he said. “It’s not like there’s a lack of coordination, there is no coordination. I want to know, why aren’t the Nexus offices in Canada open?”
CTV News asked Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) why the Canadian Nexus offices remain closed, and when they could re-open.
An emailed response did not address the why. As for when, a CBSA spokesperson said “Canada and the US are in discussions about the timing of the reopening of the Canadian enrollment centres.”
Right now, Canadians wanting to renew their Nexus cards can only book their interviews in a handful of US border communities, and appointments are hard to come by.
As a result, Saunders says some members whose two-year extensions have run out are having their expired Nexus cards seized at the border
“I get calls almost on a daily basis from Nexus participants who want to renew their cards and do their interviews, and they’re now freaking out that their card may be taken after that two-year sort of grace period expires,” he said .
His advice for anyone who has a Nexus card that expires in the next year? Start your application right away.
“Right now, they still do give that two-year extension. So if it’s a new renewal, hopefully, this will be sorted out in two years. But for people who applied two years ago, who knows what’s going to happen going forward, Saunders said.
Orr has a scheduled interview in August. But with his Nexus extension now expired, he isn’t sure if he has to re-apply again first.
“To put everybody back into a brand new application, I’m not sure that will help the process as well,” he said. “It just doesn’t seem right to me, given we are trusted travellers.”