No more NEXUS kiosks at US Pre-clearance Sites

Previously, if you were in Canada heading back to the US you had 2 sets of kiosks to choose from: NEXUS and Global Entry.

As a Nexus cardholder today I received this email:

Dear NEXUS Member,

Please be advised that, in an effort to improve the NEXUS program, the kiosks currently available in the U.S. pre-clearance areas at Canadian airports are being replaced with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry (GE) kiosks. Global Entry is a U.S. domestic trusted traveller program that offers expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk members. NEXUS members receive Global Entry benefits automatically, at no additional cost, and have access to the GE automated kiosks for entry into the U.S. at participating airports.

Expedited passage at a GE kiosk requires the NEXUS member to have their 10 fingerprints on file. If you have not already submitted your 10 prints, please visit a NEXUS or Global Entry (GE) Enrollment Center to have your fingerprints taken. An appointment is not necessary. If your fingerprints are not on file, you may still use the GE kiosk; however you will be referred to a CBP officer for additional verification.

Members entering into the United States, from Canada, can use either their NEXUS card or their registered passport at any of the eight international airports that offer US pre-clearance. In order to use the GE kiosks located within the United States, NEXUS members must have a valid registered passport on file. To update your passport information on line, please log into your Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) account at https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/main/goes.

When I signed up for Nexus they took my fingerprints for Global Entry as well, but if for some reason you have Nexus and did not get fingerprints taken, you will need to have that done to use the kiosk to go from Canada back to the US.

It is interesting that it says “If your fingerprints are not on file, you may still use the GE kiosk; however you will be referred to a CBP officer for additional verification.” because many times I have used Pre-Clearance in Canada it hasn’t mattered if I used Nexus or GE, the agent still wanted to see the card printed, my passport, and sometimes asked me a few questions.  I had not been chosen for secondary or anything.  At YEG I used the GE kiosk (since it was often faster anyway) and started walking to the gate and I was called back for not waiting at the line to talk to an agent.  I thought that defeated the purpose of Nexus/GE, but there was no line.  I handed him my papers, he asked the purpose of my trip and where I was headed, stamped the date stamp and let me go.  That has been the process every time at YEG, but in YYZ’s Pre-Clearance I did not need to talk to an officer.  I can’t remember YVR’s process.

5 Comments

  1. At YVR you still need to speak to an officer. YYZ is the only place I have been to where you do not.

  2. The process at YVR is the same as YEG (from what you’ve described). You still have to talk to someone and it would be incredibly hard to pass through without taking to someone. I was expecting that at YYZ and was thrown off when I could just walk right on through.

    1. Thanks, Rachel and Adam. I’ve been flying out of YYZ for years so the first time I flew from YEG it really threw me. Maybe the other cities will change eventually, although when I used the GE kiosk at Dublin’s pre-clearance it didn’t really make much of a difference at all since I still needed to talk to a person and verify my checked bag and everything.
      The program is consistently inconsistent and yet the officers are not very forgiving all the time if you don’t know their procedure.

  3. My problem is I have no idea if I was fingerprinted when I went for my NEXUS interview. The airport is not exactly convenient for me and there isn’t a number to call. Anyone have any idea how I can find out if I have fingerprints on file?

  4. I went to the SFO GOES office today and they told me that there was nothing they could do for me. They said if I brought an official notification they might try again.

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