U.S. and Canadian officials say the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are making solid progress reducing the backlog of applications for the NEXUS trusted traveller platform.

In order to address the backlog in NEXUS applications that has topped 300,000, CBP and CBSA have increased the number of interview appointments available to applicants by extending hours of service at enrollment centers in the United States and expanding the locations where interviews are conducted on the land border.

CBP and CBSA have also been able to accelerate approval for over 80% of renewing applicants and to extend benefits for the remaining qualified renewing applicants for up to five years beyond their membership expiration date while their interviews are pending.

The border agencies say the efforts have been effective. Since October 1, 2022, CBP and CBSA have completed a record-breaking 203,000 NEXUS enrollments and reduced the net backlog of applicants by 100,000.

A new enrollment option for air travellers will be available by spring. It will include CBSA interviews at reopened enrollment centers in Canada and separate CBP interviews in Canadian airport preclearance locations for departing applicants.

Details for this new interview option will be available shortly from CBP and CBSA. In the meantime, applicants may continue to take advantage of existing options for interviews, including combined interviews at U.S. enrollment centers and two-step, separate Canada-U.S. interviews at designated land borders.

“This work reaffirms the cooperative and effective advantages and relationship Canada and the United States share in managing an efficient border between our two countries, to the great benefit of citizens of both countries,” the CBSA said in a statement.

“It also reaffirms the importance of the jointly-administered NEXUS trusted traveller program, accelerates our progress in eliminating the enrollment backlog and expands enrollment capacity over the long-term to meet and improve services to travellers.”