states and Canadian provinces known as the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. She said that idea came about while brainstorming with Matt Morrison, the head of a cross-border economic development coalition of western U.S. The pilot project is reminiscent of a proposal floated earlier this month by Scotty Greenwood, chief executive of the Canadian American Business Council, who has been among those pushing hard for a resolution. 5 - progress, but a far cry from the backlog of more than 330,000 applications cited in the Higgins letter. Purdy said 49,482 new, renewed or replacement Nexus cards were issued between Oct. It goes on to acknowledge 'the implications, sensitivities and complex nature' of the issue, which include 'the sovereignty of both countries.' The letter cited Customs and Border Protection data that showed the current average wait time is 16.5 months for a Nexus application that requires any level of review. However, the delays in processing new Nexus applications have severely diminished the program's effectiveness,' they wrote. 'Trusted-traveller programs, including Nexus, are critical tools in facilitating cross-border travel and commerce. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) - who wrote to their Canadian counterparts earlier this month.

envoy, said the program was being 'held hostage' to a unilateral attempt to renegotiate the bilateral preclearance agreement under which Nexus was established.īusiness leaders and elected officials in both countries have been pressing the two sides to find a solution, describing Nexus as a critical component of the cross-border trade and commercial ties between Canada and the U.S. The impasse turned into a full-blown diplomatic row in October when Kirsten Hillman, Canada's U.S. soil - a condition the federal government in Canada considers a non-starter. since April, when the 13 Nexus centres south of the border re-opened for joint interviews after a two-year pandemic-driven hiatus.Ĭustoms and Border Protection, however, won't send agents to staff centres in Canada without being guaranteed the same legal protections they enjoy on U.S. That process has been going on as normal in the U.S. It's a far cry from how Nexus interviews have traditionally been conducted in both countries, with applicants sitting down for an in-person interview that's jointly conducted by officers from the two agencies in the same room. CBP are actively exploring the expansion of this pilot to additional locations along the border where demand and capacity are greatest.' Customs and Border Protection and to be photographed and fingerprinted. Nexus applicants are interviewed in person by a Canada Border Services Agency officer before crossing the border to sit down with an agent from U.S. The pilot project has been underway since late September at the Thousand Islands bridge crossing between Alexandria Bay, N.Y., and the Ontario town of Landsdowne, about 50 kilometres east of Kingston, Ont. 'These discussions include options for shorter-term measures that continue to increase the number of people being issued new or renewed Nexus cards each month.' Customs and Border Protection met earlier this month in person as part of that ongoing effort, Purdy said. Senior management officials from both CBSA and U.S. continue discussions about the reopening of Canadian enrolment centres and are pursuing solutions to address the current backlog,' Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said in a statement. The pilot project underway at the Thousand Islands border crossing between Ontario and New York state marks the first signs of life for a Nexus enrolment centre north of the border since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.īut it also suggests that the days of customs agents from both countries conducting joint interviews inside a shared space on Canadian soil are likely over - at least for the foreseeable future. Canada and the United States are road-testing a workaround for their irreconcilable differences over Nexus - evidence, officials say, of a shared bilateral commitment to the treasured but imperilled fast-traveller program.

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