NEXUS?

[OntarioBound]

Hello,

We have submitted our sponsorship application at the end of December 2014 and we received our SA a couple of months a go.

I have just moved from CA to NY to be closer to my husband who now resides in the Toronto area. I am now settled in the Niagara Falls area with a signed lease (6 months only hoping my PR will be ready by October end), my car registered with NY, etc. I do not have a job but I can show bank statements (I am now semi-retired.)). I would like to go visit my husband 2-3 weeks at a time (maybe 2 weeks there and 2 weeks here, or something like that. More often than not, I will be going into Canada without my husband.) I've heard that you may have to wait for a while at the border if you do not have a NEXUS pass, but would I be a good candidate for a NEXUS pass? (I am a US citizen.) How would I explain my situation as to the need of the pass?

My luggage didn't get to my destination in time due to flight changes last time I visited Canada and when I got my suitcase back, spices produced in India were removed from my suitcase although spices I got from Trader Joe's were still in there.... I do see on the NEXUS site:

You may not qualify if one of the following applies:
you have a recorded violation of customs, immigration or agriculture law

Anyway, as a side note, as for the Indian spices, I found a store that sold the same exact brand and type in a local Halal store in Canada later...


Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kerryannbailey]

Well you don't really always have to wait a while at the border crossing. That just depends on if it's busy or not when you reach the border to cross I've been coming to Canada to visit my husband for about 10 years now. I got Nexus just over a year ago Just because I was here to visit more than 3 times a year. Usually when i get to the border i would just say I'm visiting family/husband and for how long and I've never really had any problems. Sometimes i would fly into Buffalo and it was all the same when I'd drive over. I would be coming from FL so it was quote a ways from Toronto. I wanted to get Global Entry because flying into the states I'd have to stand in line 45 minutes to get through customs. It was gonna cost like $240 if i had done it from the States so i tried in Canada and it was only $50 and I'd get both Global Entry and Nexus. So i filled out the form and paid and it took about 6 months between getting first stage approval and the interview. That interview was easy peasy And i did it at the Toronto airport while i was here staying for 6 months. They never really asked me why I needed Nexus. I guess they figured since my husband lives here and I'm always here to visit then that makes sense. I would think that by immigration laws they mean if you've ever had a removal order issued against you for an overstay or anything confiscated from you that was worth noting like contraband or a huge amount of plants or fruits or something more serious. I don't think spices from India are that serious. It would be good for you to get Nexus then you'd just drive over and bypass the cbsa and go about your business. I only applied for PR Oct 2014 so i had Nexus before my app for PR was even made up. It wasn't any problem at all to get Nexus. It's worth it. Those lines at the airport and the lines at Buffallo on any given long weekend can be a huge pain. Just do it!

 

[truesmile]

Agree yes. You are a prime candidate for Nexus membership. Nexus lanes are great, and they're updating all the Nexus machines at the airports.

 

[Panamai]

I don't think you need to give them a reason for applying for the NEXUS card. As for during your border crossings, they have never asked me when I've gone through NEXUS lanes. If they do, just be honest and tell them you are visiting your husband. That's a perfectly legitimate reason. If it helps you to feel better, you could bring along documents showing your ties to the US (car registration, lease, documents showing employment, etc). Since you've applied for PR, you should also bring a copy of your receipt showing you paid the fees and also a copy of AOR and SA. I'm really glad to have a NEXUS card! It also gets us through the airport super speedily!

 

[truesmile]

At the interview they always ask why you are applying. Easily answered, "to expedite future border crossings".

 

[OntarioBound]

Thank you very much for all your posts and sharing your experiences here. It seems getting a Nexus pass is fairly easy as long as you are eligible And it sounds like it would make my life easier with less wait and less hassle. I will definitely get this going. Thank you very much!!!

 

[keesio]

It is worth it but it the waiting time to get one has gotten pretty long recently. It took several months for my wife to get an interview invite and the interview was another month or two afterwards (it depends on where you choose to have your interview).

 

[OntarioBound]

It is worth it but it the waiting time to get one has gotten pretty long recently. It took several months for my wife to get an interview invite and the interview was another month or two afterwards (it depends on where you choose to have your interview).

WOW! I thought it only took about 2 weeks to get an interview, but that must have been a while back. I will start the process, but I may not need Nexus if it takes that long (since I will move to Canada once the PR is approved, so there will be less need for me to get back and forth between Canada and US) but I will definitely start the process, but it's good to know so I have more realistic expectations, so thank you very much for your post.

 

[keesio]

Things have slowed down. When I applied in 2011, it took about 2 weeks as you said. And I was able to get an interview date a week later because I picked Fort Erie as the location, which is a lot less busy than my closest location (Pearson Airport) which is one of the busiest and had a wait time of 3 months.

But when my wife applied on 2013, it was a different story. It took about 2 months to get an interview and even though we chose Fort Erie again, she had to wait about 2 months to find an open spot.

However if you have any plans to travel back and forth between the US and Canada after you become PR, NEXUS is worth it. Unless you don't plan on going back that much at all, I'd still apply.

 

[OntarioBound]

Things have slowed down. When I applied in 2011, it took about 2 weeks as you said. And I was able to get an interview date a week later because I picked Fort Erie as the location, which is a lot less busy than my closest location (Pearson Airport) which is one of the busiest and had a wait time of 3 months.

But when my wife applied on 2013, it was a different story. It took about 2 months to get an interview and even though we chose Fort Erie again, she had to wait about 2 months to find an open spot.

However if you have any plans to travel back and forth between the US and Canada after you become PR, NEXUS is worth it. Unless you don't plan on going back that much at all, I'd still apply.

Yes, I will definitely apply for it - it is inexpensive, so it would be good to have it even if I need to go through the border just a few times a year. Thank you for the detailed explanation!

 

[truesmile]

In December 2014, we could have chosen the very next day in Fort Erie for an interview, but the I-90 corridor had just begun to get slammed with that nasty NY snow storm that you all may recall. So we took 2 weeks downwind from then when we knew we were going for sure, rain (sleet) or shine.

Of course the looming storm could be why the slot was available.

 

[Harry001in]

Does anyone have experience crossing Canada USA border everyday for work using NEXUS pass? Like residing in Canada and working in USA
Is it a feasible option to choose? Are US officers okay with daily commuting using NEXUS?
How frequent does extensive checking occur?

 

[YVR123]

Does anyone have experience crossing Canada USA border everyday for work using NEXUS pass? Like residing in Canada and working in USA
Is it a feasible option to choose? Are US officers okay with daily commuting using NEXUS?
How frequent does extensive checking occur?

I used to live in BC and commute to WA to work everyday. As long as you have valid status on both sides of the border, you are fine crossing the border everyday.

I am a Canadian citizen and have a valid US work visa back then.
If you have NEXUS, make sure that you declare everything even tiny items. I was questioned (only briefly) because I bought along a bag of candies leftover from an office party and didn't put that on the from.