If you were hoping to apply for the NEXUS trusted traveller program, be ready for a long wait.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant increase in the backlog of applications for the NEXUS program. The Globe and Mail reported Monday that over 295,000 applications for the program were waiting to be processed.
The CBSA said despite a drop in applications during the pandemic, the number of requests waiting to be processed ballooned.
"Although the extent of the backlog in 2019 is not known, I can tell you that the backlog has significantly increased over pre-pandemic levels due to the closing of the enrolment centres in March 2020 for public health reasons," said CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy in the Globe and Mail.
The NEXUS program allows low-risk travellers to bypass lines at select border crossings. Members use dedicated lanes at land crossings, plus special kiosks at international airports along the Canada-US border. Members are still subject to random secondary screening procedures.
Applicants must be prescreened by both the CBSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). After that, applicants who pass the prescreening are invited to an enrollment centre for additional interviewing and approval. First-time users and those renewing cards are subject to the same screening procedures.
Canadian enrollment centres have been closed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Centres on the American side reopened last month, including those in Detroit, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Risk assessments for NEXUS applicants and renewals are still done within a 30-day window, though it is up to the applicant to schedule an appointment at an enrollment centre.
The CBSA told The Globe and Mail that enrollment in the NEXUS program fell nine per cent throughout 2020 and 2021, to about 1.73-million members.