US congressman calls for virtual interviews to clear Nexus backlog

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A politician south of the border is calling on the US and Canada to allow Nexus applicants to do video interviews to speed up the post-pandemic application backlog.

Congressman Brian Higgins published a news release on his website Monday arguing that the trusted traveller program has the “technology, training, and procedures… already in place” to use video interviews as opposed to cumbersome in-person ones on both sides of the border.

“Let’s expand the program to break down existing barriers and backlogs getting in the way of efficient cross-border travel,” Higgins said.

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He’s brought forward the Make Nexus Work Act, which would make video conferencing available to new and renewing Nexus applicants within 45 days if passed.

Average processing time for NEXUS applications is currently 12-14 months.

Today we announced the “Make NEXUS Work Act.”

Our bill would allow for NEXUS interviews to take place over video conferencing, reducing the backlog & easing cross-border travel.https://t.co/rmZEzILtEK pic.twitter.com/zZ6XArXcDP

— Brian Higgins (@RepBrianHiggins) January 30, 2023

Right now, Nexus applicants need to do in-person interviews in both Canada and the US. It can be a cumbersome process for travellers to get themselves across the border for the interviews; however, both countries recently announced a workaround where both interviews can be completed at certain land border checkpoints.

Nexus processing came to a halt over the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that travel is back on the menu there’s a huge backlog. Before the pandemic, there was a joint interview process, but “legal differences” between the two countries put a stop to that, according to Higgins. At the height of the backlog, processing times were over a year at 494 days.

“The US and Canadian economies are interconnected, mutually benefiting from a robust flow of goods and people between our countries,” Higgins said. “The greatest inducement to travel is the ease of travel. Improving the Nexus process, which has only gotten increasingly challenging in recent years, is a step in the right direction.”