My kid and I just applied for our Nexus cards today, after hearing amazing things about this program for many years, from many people (and after an abysmal 2-hour wait at the border recently when last visiting Seattle. I swore it was time to take the Nexus plunge!). I can't yet attest to the benefits of the program, as we haven't yet received our cards (we were told it takes about 4 weeks before they're mailed to us), but I CAN attest to the efficiency and organization of this Nexus center, as well as the whole application process to date. Initially I went online to apply for this program. The directions were straightforward. I was prompted to choose an interview site and date; there's a Vancouver location near me on Main Street that I had hoped to go to but the first appointment's availability there was over a month longer than the first appointments available here at the Vancouver airport (as is, I had to wait about 3 weeks to get this weekend appointment at the airport, as my kid goes to school during the weekdays). So I booked us for the airport site. I had heard that it was tricky to find the actual office at the airport, so I gave ourselves extra time. Turns out, that was unnecessary. It was simple to find: it's literally right behind the Starbucks on the third floor at the US departure area. There's a big "NEXUS" sign on the wall. You can't miss it. We checked in at the counter, and all our documents were reviewed. (Note: bring EVERYTHING. I brought way more than needed but, hey, better safe than sorry). They scanned our eyeballs (I felt like James Bond!). Then we had brief interviews, first with a Canadian officer, then with an American officer. The US officer took our fingerprints on a digital pad (cool!), and both just reviewed our documents and basic facts. Both were super nice. Then we were told the cards would be mailed to us. The whole process went smoothly and wasn't intimidating in the least. A big shout-out goes out to everyone working at this center for truly making the process so seamless. read more

As other commentators have noted: 1. Parking lot 3 (top level) 2. Walk across bridge to US departures, nexus is located just north of the Starbucks 3. ***if you are a parent getting your kid nexus and your partner is not with you be sure to: -bring a letter stating that you can enroll the kid, signed by your partner -be sure to bring your partners passport or drivers license (also signed) or at the least a photo on your phone of the passport or drivers license read more

This review is solely based on my experience of renewing my Nexus. Thank goodness for Yelp reviews that I was able to find their location in the Airport. Yes it is close to the Starbucks (right side from the Jade statue / food court); USA departure side. I came here for an interview for the renewal of my Nexus. The wait times were very good and I had my interview almost right at the dot. The officers who interviewed me made the experience pleasant; I felt comfortable being there and did not feel like I was being interrogated. The process did not take a while like the first time I had my interview (maybe because mine was only a renewal). The following documents are usually required that I brought during my interview as per their instructions - Valid passport, citizenship card (if it's applicable), proof of residency (mortgage papers, bills, payments), and driver's license (make sure the address is current). Do not leave your Nexus to expire and then renew. They have told me it is better to renew while your nexus is still active. Try to renew your nexus early so that you can book a slot for an interview closer to you (if not, there are lots of opening in Blaine). They have told me you can apply as early as a year before your expiry date. Some individuals get an interview (random selection), and some don't. You may be that individual who does not need to have one! You will know once you apply online. The cost of renewing is $50, good luck and happy applying! read more

I travel to Washington at least once every 2 weeks because well, cheap cheese, gas and I have a bad Amazon addiction. I have been caught in my fair share of border lineups and I always tell myself I really should apply for Nexus, and then I don't. I'm not sure why. I believe possibly due to being too cheap to pay for it, and I didn't want to go through an arduous process. And then I got caught in a reeeeally bad lineup one day and applied for Nexus the next day. I applied online and it was fairly painless. It is $50 USD to apply online, or you can pay $50 CAD if you apply with the paper application. The card is good for 5 years. I applied on May 8th online and was tentatively approved on June 30th. The soonest available appointment at the YVR Enrolment Centre was the following Monday! Crazy! This particular Enrolment Centre is open 7 days a week, so we opted to go on a Sunday morning. Our appointment was for 8:30am but we planned to be there by 8am in case we got lost. It was actually very easy to locate and as a result, we were there 30 minutes early. They took us in immediately thankfully. We first checked in at the front, showed them our documents and were told to take a seat. We waited about 10 minutes, then the Canadian guard came to interview me, it lasted 5 minutes. He was very nice and asked things like how often I go to America (often), why do I go (Amazon), what do I do for work, etc. Then I went back to sit in the waiting area until the American guard interviewed me. He also asked the same questions. All in all, it was a great experience. We arrived 8am and were out by 9:15am. It cost a few bucks for parking (I think it's $4 per half hour) but I didn't have to take time off work due to being able to go on a Sunday, so that was nice! Some tips: - the enrolment centre is located on P3 BEFORE security. It is in between the food court and Air Canada in the US Departures area. Look for the standalone Starbucks, it is right beside it. - even if you didn't need your birth certificate for enrolling, bring it with you to the interview if you have it. They still issued my card without it but asked that I bring it another day to have on file - if you pay for parking there, make sure to take your token with you if you prepay right before leaving! When you prepay at the machine, it spits your token back out and then you need to put it in the arm barrier machine before leaving read more

* This program keeps getting better! * If you thought my previous review sounded like an infomercial, here we go again - it just keeps getting better! There is a little known addition to this already wonderful program. Yes, you already know you can use Nexus at many land border crossings between Canada and the US. Yes, you already know you can use Nexus in Canadian airports (both to enter Canada and to clear US immigration on the way out). Now some Nexus members get an added bonus of free membership in Global Entry for free! Yes, free. What is Global Entry, you ask? It is a very similar program that operates in many international airports in the States (full list here: http://www.globalentry.gov/locations.html). The machines work slightly differently. Instead of doing an iris scan, you do actually need your passport to scan, and then they scan your fingerprints as well to confirm your identity. While the iris scan with no additional paperwork/card at the Nexus machines is definitely "cooler" this works equally well to skip the long immigration lines at US airports. Nifty! The one hassle is that the Nexus offices in Vancouver can't handle the interview for this addition. You have to do it at one of those US airport locations. But it was very easy to schedule an appointment online. The appointment itself took all of 20 minutes and now there are all these other airports that will be convenient to go through. A bonus I haven't taken advantage of, since I don't need it, is that as a member of Global Entry you can also get a similar program for entry into Holland. It sounds like they are going to try to build up that style of partnership so that this will start to work in more and more countries around the world - brilliant! The combined Nexus/Global Entry is still a bargain at $10/year. Totally worth it! Keep it coming - I'm loving the new addition! read more

It's BEFORE SECURITY. Nobody bothers to tell you this. The only directions on the CBP website say "US Departures Level 3 by Starbucks." If you call the phone number, the recorded message says the same. No more detail. If you leave a message they will return it "within a few days". Nobody in the post-security area knows where it is either. There's a Starbucks on BOTH sides of security, but if you do your homework, YVR only lists a POST-security Starbucks in the US departures area. BE WARNED. If you screw this up you will spend 20 minutes trying to find the center. Fortunately United staff was nice enough to take my wife back into the gate and let her go back through customs into Canada just for the interview, but I can't guarantee they'll do it for everyone. Hopefully she makes it back for our flight! read more

I had no idea Nexus was even a reviewble thing on Yelp! I freaking love Nexus too - so true, can you believe there's actually an awesome government program that's efficient - gasp! Mark's post is awesome. My experience with it over the past year has been excellent. You have to go through an application process which can take a few weeks to months for processing, then you will have the option of doing your interview at one of the Nexus locations. I did mine in the US since it was a lot faster to get an interview there than in Vancouver/Richmond. They'll go through the rules with you, snap your picture, and off you go with your shiny new card! (The permanent one arrives later). You'll have land Nexus immediately, and I added on Nexus air shortly after. The big thing is that you need to follow the rules - they are very strict about it and will revoke your Nexus status if you don't. If you follow the rules, you'll be handsomely rewarded with fast access through the border - woot, short Peace Arch waits... can you say 20 mins or less even in peak times? That alone is worth the fee, which is a bargain at $50 for 5 years. They have these convenient books that you can use and drop off when you have stuff to declare coming back, which is automatically linked to your CC for any taxes/duties owing. I love the no-hassle approach with Nexus... it's unlike any other government program which is usually plagued with inefficiency! read more

I won't go into too many details about the NEXUS program itself - it's great if you travel between the US and Canada a lot, and you get TSA Precheck in the US, and loads of other things. For the price, the benefits are awesome As far as the centre itself, no complaints really. It was pretty painless - walked in, waited in line, and got assistance very quickly. Plenty of seating and it was well-kept. It was easy to find in the airport also. Not bad at all! read more

Nexus at the airport rocks! Super fast. Not too much hassle at all! Totally worth the $50. I should fly to the US more often! Nexus on the ground... going in to the US is okay. Coming back to Canada is so complicated with the entire form thing to fill out. I'd rather go in the regular lines. And what everyone else says. read more

i, too, love NEXUS... no more 3 hour lineups at the border... and of coz no more turning back... you even get a "have a good day, sir" as opposed to those "where are you going", "how long you gonig for", etc etc questions... and it's totally worth the money... $50 for 5yrs... works out to be $10/yr... this is very ideal for the frequent shopper... and this helps me plan my day trip to say Seattle... i know i'll be in Seattle in 3hrs, don't have to add in the waiting time which might turn a day trip into an overnighter... read more

Confusing place, they have lots f seats and if one lines up (to get to the wicket) they yell at you to just sit down. Make up a simple sign or give out numbers, easy peasy. Thank you. read more