Faster trips through Pearson Airport in Mississauga for travellers with return of NEXUS centre

Travellers can now move through Pearson Airport in Mississauga much faster thanks to the reopening of the NEXUS enrolment centre at the airport on Monday (April 24).

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced last month that NEXUS applicants across the country would soon be able to book the required interviews once again at Pearson and most other Canadian airports.

NEXUS cards provide travellers with a faster, more streamlined trip across the Canada/U.S. border.

The NEXUS centre at Pearson reopened to travellers this week. Other enrolment centres, at airports in Halifax and Winnipeg, among others, reopened on March 27 and were followed by other reopenings on a staggered basis.

NEXUS has relaunched! If you’ve been waiting for your NEXUS interview, now is your chance to book a time. This is an important step to expanded trusted traveller programs in Canada that will make travel easier! https://t.co/MGMFvguGy3

— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) April 24, 2023

The centres were closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had remained closed due, in part, to a diplomatic dispute over legal protections for American customs officers. That created a huge backlog in applications.

The reopening of the centres will greatly benefit air travellers, the CBSA says.

“This will both expand the program’s capacity and help the thousands of travellers who request NEXUS memberships each month get their cards faster,” the CBSA said in an earlier news release.

Travellers seeking a NEXUS card must go in for an enrolment centre interview held by both Canadian and U.S. officials before being granted one.

The U.S. reopened its 13 NEXUS centres last April to allow the joint interview process to continue as normal. But American authorities insisted Canada grant its agents the same legal protections they enjoy on U.S. soil before returning to Canadian NEXUS centres, which Ottawa refused to consider.

Conditionally-approved NEXUS applicants and renewing members who must be interviewed will be able to book the Canadian portion of their interview via the Trusted Traveller Programs system at various Canadian airports as interview slots become available.

–with files from The Canadian Press