What's the current wait for a Nexus appointment @ Montreal or Toronto?

November 7, 2016 9:50 AM

A bit of a long shot but does anyone know what the current wait for a Nexus appointment is at either the Toronto or Montreal locations? I'll be traveling to both cities over Christmas, and was wondering if I applied for Nexus, what is the likelihood of getting an appointment in the week and a half window I have.

(I can't see the interview scheduler unless I pay the application fee first.) Also, are walk-in appointments available/feasible?

posted by danny the boy to Travel & Transportation around Montréal, QC (5 answers total)

Best answer: I did this 2 years ago but have colleagues that have done it more recently - if anything it's gotten busier.

-There is very little likelihood of an available appointment at YYZ or YUL in that timeframe. My request took ~5 months. Many others I hear about are 2-4 months and with very narrow availability closer-in.

-Buffalo (vehicle-crossing) apparently has the most decent availability if you're willing to drive - it's possible to find time within a month or 2 is my understanding.

-What I'd suggest is to sign up now, and you can keep checking back for availability, as people will drop out. There's unfortunately no way to be notified of new openings but that definitely happens closer-to. This might be difficult for your plans. Note that you do not actually need to be crossing the border to do this - my appointment at YYZ was gate-side (outside of security) so if you're in the city you can go to the airport just for this.

-It is totally, totally worth it. Signup now but remember to add your Nexus number to your airline loyalty profiles and all your check-ins traveling to the US so you get TSA Pre-Check as well where possible.
posted by artificialard at 9:58 AM on November 7, 2016

Best answer: As artificialard mentions, with cancellations you may be able to get one at short notice. I know someone who wrote a small script to regularly check the website for cancellations and got an appointment quite quickly.

If you're driving between Toronto and Montreal, there are also options at border crossings along the way - as with Buffalo, wait times tend to be shorter there as well.
posted by dttocs at 10:57 AM on November 7, 2016

Best answer: The real problem is that, as artificialard said, you'll wait several months to be able to schedule an appointment. Once I was pre-approved, I could schedule an appointment at Blaine within a few days, but the pre-approval took 4-6 months (can't remember exactly).
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 3:26 PM on November 7, 2016

Best answer: I applied for NEXUS in mid August and got my conditional approval on October 10th. My husband's application took and extra week or two, even though he applied the same day I did. If that timeline holds up, applying today would put you in early-mid January. I don't recall being able to see the appointment calendar until I got my approval, either. Being the holiday season, you may get lucky. Would there be any way for you to make it to another appointment in January if you didn't get lucky, though? Timing wise, your card is good for five years after your next birthday, so unless you have one coming up, you should apply as soon as possible. If you do, wait until it passes to apply.

I have heard that walk in appointments are not usually honored unless you are there for an iris scan only. Besides, you can't have that until your approval comes which is unlikely to be before the end of the year.
posted by soelo at 8:12 AM on November 8, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, appreciate all the info. Looks like I should plan on scheduling an interview for a later trip.
posted by danny the boy at 12:18 PM on November 8, 2016