Nexus Traveler Program to Gradually Resume After Year-Long Deadline

Enrollment in the Nexus Trusted Traveler Program had been halted in Canada due to various disagreements with the United States.

The federal government said the Trusted Traveler Program Nexus will fully resume operations within five weeks, allowing people who often cross the border to complete their applications and expedite their travels.

Enrollment in the program was halted in Canada for nearly a year after Nexus enrollment centers opened in the United States, due in part to a dispute over the right of U.S. agents to bear arms on Canadian soil, among other legal protections.

The standoff has resulted in a massive backlog of applications for this program, which allows pre-approved travelers to cross the border faster.

A compromise was announced at a summit in January that Canadian border agents will now interview Nexus applicants separately from U.S. agents at eight Canadian airports rather than together, as before the COVID-19 pandemic. /p>

The Canada Border Services Agency says enrollment centers will reopen March 27 at Halifax and Winnipeg airports. This will be followed by a staggered reopening at the other six airports where pre-clearance is possible, including Montreal-Trudeau on April 17, and finally Toronto and Ottawa airports on April 24.< /p>

The agency said last July that the number of applications to join the Nexus program had exploded by 21% in just three months to almost 342,000, although the Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said the backlog had shrunk by about 100,000 by the end of January.