The backlog of applications for Nexus memberships in Canada has soared into the hundreds of thousands, despite a sharp drop in the number of applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted at 9:36
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says more than 295,000 Nexus applications have yet to be processed due to office closures that have been prompted by the health crisis.
Applicants for the Nexus program, which allows pre-approved Canadians to go through separate and fast lanes when traveling to the United States, must all be assessed by the CBSA and US border authorities.
The US agency reopened its Nexus enrollment centers on April 19 to assess candidates, but those in Canada have not reopened after they closed in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
The resulting backlog means some Nexus members are struggling to book appointments before their cards expire, as applications for Canadian residents wishing to renew their status can only be processed in less than a dozen border offices where availability is scarce.
The CBSA says in an email that Canada and the United States have begun discussions about the date for the reopening of Canadian registration centres.
Membership in the Nexus program is valid for a period of five years. Normally, Nexus cardholders can use automated entry kiosks at Canada’s nine international airports, and Global Entry kiosks to enter the United States, among other things.
As for the reserved lanes, they can be used by holders at 21 designated land border crossings.