Hoping to finally get that Nexus card you’ve heard about or delayed getting (it’s the best 50 bucks you’ll ever spend), then get in line – the backlog of cases in this country has ballooned to nearly 300,000 applications, according to Canada Border Services Agency.

Unlike passports, the delay comes despite a sharp downturn in applicants during the pandemic (Nexus membership declined by 170,814, or 9%, to 1.73 million enrollees between 2020 and 2021, according to agency figures). Yet, according to the CBSA, more than 295,000 Nexus applications have yet to be processed due to ongoing office closures prompted by COVID-19.

Would-be cardholders in the Trusted Traveler program, which allows low-risk pre-approved Canadians to pass through separate, speedy lines when travelling to the United States, must be risk-assessed by both the CBSA and US Customs and Border Protection.

The American agency reopened its Nexus enrollment centres for applicant interviews on April 19, but centres in Canada remain closed after shuttering in March 2020.

The resulting backlog means some Nexus members are struggling to book sit-downs before their cards expire, as Canadian residents hoping to renew their status can only schedule interviews in fewer than a dozen border community offices where slots are few.

Notably, at time when airports are suffering from chaotic scenes due to shortages of staff, it also adds even more people into the regular passenger stream for security (and customs pre-clearance for the US).

The CBSA says that Canada and the US are in discussions about when to reopen Canadian enrollment centres.

It adds that it continues to carry out risk assessments remotely within its standard 30-day timeline for new applicants or those seeking to renew a soon-to-expire card.

However, once both countries have pre-approved the application, “the onus is then on the applicant to schedule an interview at a Nexus/Fast EC (enrolment centre) using the online portal,” the agency said.

But not all current holders are subject to the aforementioned delays – or interviews. I can report that my renewal earlier this month took less than two weeks to accomplish, from online application to card in hand (received by mail).

After regular reminders via email that my card was set to expire (effective my birthday in May), I sat down to complete the necessary forms – albeit, with the knowledge that a grace period for user privileges had been granted for six months to anyone who had submitted their application on time (i.e., before expiry).

During the process, I learned that six months had been extended to a year, and even read two years at one stage.

However, others I have come across did not seem to have as efficient an experience. (It might be noted that this was my second renewal of the five-year term).

The moral of the story is to apply ASAP either way and hope for the best. In the worst-case scenario, the process has been started.

And the wait is worth it – Nexus is a godsend for frequent travellers. In a trip earlier this month to Texas, I sped through security and US pre-clearance in minutes with my new card (and using a new facial recognition kiosk), while a Nexus-wannabe colleague waited for two hours to clear at Toronto Pearson (having had to arrive at the airport at 3 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight). My longest delay was waiting for US customs to actually open at 4:30 a.m.

In the US, cardholders who enter their Nexus number during the booking/check-in process receive TSA pre-clearance (a check mark appears on the boarding card), which speeds transit through airports south of the border.

That privilege should not be discounted. I once had a pre-pandemic experience in Houston where a non-Nexus colleague I was travelling with from Mexico ended up missing our connection entirely due lack of fast-track capabilities and he had to wait six hours for another flight. I saw him hopelessly dashing to the gate from my window seat as the plane taxied away.

Even more useful is that, though Nexus is only applicable to travel to or through the US, it can also be used when arriving in Canada – from anywhere.

And that means access to the special Nexus line in the customs arrival hall upon when returning home, which, at the moment, is more valuable than ever.