CBSA to Restore Two-Year Deadline for NEXUS Interview Scheduling in 2027
Starting April 1, 2027, the Canada Border Services Agency will require NEXUS applicants to schedule their enrolment interviews within two years of conditional approval, ending a temporary five-year extension introduced during the pandemic.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced that beginning April 1, 2027, NEXUS applicants will be required to schedule their enrolment interview within two years of receiving conditional approval. This change restores the program's original scheduling deadline, replacing the current five-year time limit that was implemented as a temporary extension due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the updated rules, any applicant who receives conditional approval on or after April 1, 2027, will have exactly two years from their approval date to book an interview. For those who were conditionally approved before April 1, 2027, the CBSA has outlined a transition period: these applicants must schedule their interview within five years of their original approval date or by April 1, 2029, whichever comes first.
The NEXUS enrolment interview is a mandatory step in the application process. During the session, officers from both the CBSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conduct identity verification, collect fingerprints, and ask questions of the applicant.
Applicants should be aware that failing to schedule an interview within the specified timeframe may result in their applications expiring. The shift back to the two-year requirement means that future applicants will need to complete this step sooner than they would have under the temporary five-year rule.