NEXUS centre opens in Falls

Obtaining a NEXUS border-crossing card should be easy and convenient for Borderland residents now that a “Trusted Traveler” enrolment centre has opened in downtown International Falls.
“Border security remains our highest priority,” Linda Loveless, area port director for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Wednesday.
“The NEXUS program presents us with a ‘win-win’ situation: trusted travellers are able to cross our border with a single travel document which reduces border waiting, allowing our officers the ability to concentrate their efforts on higher-risk traffic,” she added.
NEXUS is a joint program between the CBP and Canada Border Services Agency for frequent travelers that both the Canadian and U.S. governments have implemented to enhance border security while simplifying border crossings for pre-approved, low-risk travellers.
The first step in getting a NEXUS border-crossing card is applying for it. Residents can find application forms online at www.NEXUS.gov
Eligible applicants must be compliant with customs and immigration requirements, and also pass a background check by both countries.
The final step in the application process is a face-to-face interview with CBP/CBSA officers at the new enrolment centre.
If they’re successful with the interview, NEXUS members will receive a card which they can use to travel in dedicated lanes at selected ports along the Canada-U.S. border “with a minimum of customs and immigration questioning,” according to the CBP.
Loveless conceded no dedicated NEXUS lanes have been opened yet at the International Falls crossing.
“On the U.S. side, we have the equipment in place,” she noted. “However, we don’t plan to open the lane until we determine what the clientele will be.
“We plan to do a survey when we are conducting the interviews to find out what time people are most likely to be crossing to determine the best times to open the lane,” she explained.
“We’re really touting this not so much for the NEXUS lane. Because of infrastructure constraints here, we don’t have an access lane where cars can get ahead of all the other cars to get to the lane itself.
But it will speed up the traffic because the inspection itself will go more quickly, and also it is a WHTI-compliant document for our purposes,” added Loveless. “It’s something that’s easier to carry than a passport, especially for children to have in their pocket instead of a birth certificate.
“So we think it’s going to help things that way.”
The NEXUS enrolment centre, located at 200 Fourth St. in International Falls, is open for scheduled interviews on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and again Thursdays from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Applicants can call 1-218-283-2541 to schedule an interview at the NEXUS enrolment centre following receipt of an approved online application.
Interviews also can be scheduled online using the global online enrolment system at www.nexus.gc.ca or www.nexus.gov (for U.S. citizens).
Loveless said no appointments have been made yet for interviews, but she expects the centre to see some soon. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance of an interview.
She added it’s likely some Borderland residents already have NEXUS cards.
“There are enrolment centres across the border,” she noted. “We also have one at the Warroad port of entry, across from Sprague, mostly for the Northwest Angle residents, but anyone else could have applied online or filed an application and requested to have their interview at Warroad.
“So there are some people from this area who have already been issued cards, who may have obtained them there or elsewhere.”
Applicants who complete a successful interview will get a NEXUS card issued right at the enrolment centre, although this card may not be activated until a later date if the centre still has to hear back regarding some queries, name checks, etc.
Loveless also noted that sometime this fall, the cards will start to be centrally-issued from a location, and with that change, expect more of a delay in people getting their cards. These news cards will have enhanced security features, such as holograms, to prevent counterfeiting.
People who already have NEXUS cards will get the new version sent to them. They should visit www.nexus.gc.ca or www.nexus.gov to update or confirm their mailing address.
Roughly 225,000 U.S. and Canadian citizens/residents currently are enrolled in the NEXUS program nationally. On land, members can use NEXUS lanes at 16 locations when travelling across the Canada-U.S. border, including a location that was launched Aug. 18 at the Coutts, Alta.-Sweetgrass, Mont. crossing.
The NEXUS program also is available at eight major Canadian airports and at more than 450 locations for the marine mode of transportation.
The NEXUS card also is an accepted alternative document to a passport under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) when travelling to the United States by air (at designated airports), land, and sea.