The Fastest NEXUS Appointment in the West
If only I'd known then what I know now.
Last week, I was running out of time.
My scheduled NEXUS interview was too far off to receive my NEXUS card in time for an upcoming big trip (and I was nearing the deadline that requires I have my NEXUS interview take place within one year of my conditional approval). So, last week, a certain someone dropped me off at the closest U.S. Customs and Border Protection NEXUS Office (also one of the busiest/hardest locations at which to get an appointment), to patiently wait in the NEXUS waiting room, in case there were any no-shows that day and they could slip me in for a NEXUS interview (even though I'd not found any verification that walk-ins were even allowed).
What I brought with me (per the NEXUS conditional approval letter)...
copy of my conditional approval letter
passport
driver's license
an official document that explains my legal residency, in case they asked about it
I was prepared to wait all day.
Before arriving, I prepared to be greeted with hostility, anger, refusals, or being booted from this program altogether, since government employees have chosen similar behavior in the past.
I could feel my body bracing for the worst case scenario while I tried to relax and present myself as their best-case scenario (kind, patient, responsible).
Upon arrival, there was a sofa in-between the U.S. and Canadian border patrol offices. I just quietly sat there. My prepared statement for when they asked if I had an appointment: “Yes, but the appointment is too far in the future to receive a NEXUS card in time for extended travels, so I thought I'd quietly wait in case you have any no-shows and might be able to fit me in. I completely understand if you cannot fit me in, and I can also wait patiently all day, if that helps. I’m so sorry for this bother.”
I waited five minutes.
The U.S. Customs Border and Protection (CBP) officer immediately came out, was hostile and intimidating, told me the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer would have to decide if/when they could help me at all, with a tone that said I was a stain on her day for even existing.
The Canadian Border Services Agency officer came out immediately after that, greeted me in the warmest possible way, said she'd just had two no-shows and could interview me shortly. She finished processing a gentleman, then called me in.
NEXUS Interview With the Canadian Border Services Agency Officer:
She was warm, kind, and thoughtful throughout the entire interview.
She asked me questions (verifying the information I'd entered on my NEXUS application, so I’m glad I studied my application before arriving):
why do you want a NEXUS card?
who was your most recent employer?
how is it that you don't have a recent employer?
She also handed me literature explaining how to enter/exit Canada via the NEXUS lane. She pointed out that I cannot use the NEXUS lane unless everyone in the auto has a NEXUS card (she humorously pointed out that I cannot boot others out of the auto if they do not have a NEXUS card, just so I can use the NEXUS lane). She then walked me over to the U.S. Customs Border and Protection office.
NEXUS Interview With the U.S. Customs Border and Protection Officer:
This previously hostile/intimidating officer was now more neutral, then nice, and by the end of the appointment, kind and empathetic.
she asked the same questions as the Canadian officer
she also asked if I participated in a list of nefarious activities (crimes, smoking marijuana, etc.; she said it didn't count if you briefly experimented with marijuana as a teen)
she took my fingerprints (my fingers are too long to fit within the black outline; that's okay)
she took my digital photograph (I think she also captured my iris?)
she explained that the NEXUS program also automatically provides membership in Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
she informed me that I no longer need to pay for an enhanced driver's license, as NEXUS covers me
she emphasized that NEXUS cardholders “breeze through security much faster than anyone else, including those with transportation credentials”
she said I should “encourage everyone” I'm traveling with to also get NEXUS cards unless I want to “wait a long time in the bar for them to catch up” (so a certain someone just applied)
The vital walk-in lesson:
After receiving my conditional approval letter, I could have immediately gone online to make an interview appointment, then the very next day (not my actual appointment date), I could have walked into a local NEXUS office and likely had my interview that day, if there were any no-shows—not 10 months later.