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How long will it take me to get my Nexus card?

I applied online today and will need to schedule an interview at the Blaine, WA enrollment center after I hopefully get approved:
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus/enrollment-centers/washington

I live in Redmond near Seattle and have my US passport and am a US citizen.

I have a trip in late March 2020 to London, UK and would like to have the Nexus card so I can skip the long security line at Sea-Tac Airport. I know the Nexus card won't be useful to skip long lines at London-Heathrow Airport.

I'd appreciate answers from people who has actually applied for the Nexus card around late January or early February. I heard from a friend that a winter application can be processed quicker than a spring or summer application.

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The processing time according to the CBSA as of January 28, 2020 is sitting at 39 business days. This is a little bit more than it was when I was approved in August, 2019, when it was 25 days, which is exactly how long it took for me. So as far as I can tell it is pretty accurate, however nobody can tell you exactly how long your application will take.

Anecdotally, my mother recently submitted her application, and didn't receive a conditional approval in some short amount of time, so it doesn't appear that the wait time has decreased from when I applied.

Given that there are a maximum of 45 business days till the end of March, the likelihood of getting conditional approval and getting your interview scheduled is very low, though theoretically possible. However, since your ability to use Global Entry is based on your passport, not on the NEXUS card, you will be able to use it immediately upon approval at your interview, so if you do happen to be conditionally approved and get an interview, you would be good to go.

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  • Thanks Matthew. I'll expect I'll probably do an interview for my Nexus card in Blaine, WA after my late March 2020 trip from Seattle to London. UK. Oh well.
    – risingPhoenix1979
    Jan 29, 2020 at 14:35
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Update:
I've given up on getting a Nexus card for now because of COVID.

Months ago after COVID hit I called the Blaine, Washington State (WA), USA U.S. Customs and Border Protection office - https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus/enrollment-centers/washington - and no one is answering the phone and I can't leave a voicemail. This would've been the place I interviewed with USA officials to get my NEXUS card.

I already paid my NEXUS card fee and got a letter from the USA government saying I could make an appointment to apply for the NEXUS card.

Also I heard from others in the know that Canada-USA land borders are closed except for essential travelers (like USA citizens who do business in Canada or vise versa). This was confirmed by someone who's partner lives in Point Roberts, WA, USA which borders Canada but has no land border with the USA.

Unfortunately COVID has messed up travel between USA and Canada right now. I may not be able to apply for a NEXUS card in the future, despite paying a fee, but many other people are suffering because of COVID right now so it's no big deal. I'll keep yall posted if I eventually do a NEXUS interview in the future in Blaine, WA, USA.

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I just called the Blaine, Washington Enrollment Center for Nexus this morning:
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus/enrollment-centers/washington

The government worked there said it could take a year or less to completely provide me a Nexus card, including processing my online application, doing the interview, and sending me a Nexus card.

I believe this information is false though, and that the government worked didn't know what he was talking about. I think Matthew FitzGerald-Chamberlain's answer above is more accurate because his mother and he successfully got Nexus cards.

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  • The time quoted is the generic amount of time that the whole process can take, including the huge variability in things like background checks, appointment wait times, and mailing cards. It's not that the information is false per se, I just quoted the absolute minimum amount of time. My conditional approval was completed in the minimum amount of time, and then I flew to Calgary to complete the interview because it had the smallest wait time for an appointment, meaning I completed the process as quickly as possible. Others could have substantially longer waits.
    – Matthew FitzGerald-Chamberlain
    Jan 29, 2020 at 18:26
  • Thanks Mathew. Yes, the Blaine, WA office may have a longer wait time. I believe the Blaine, WA / Surrey, BC border is the busiest USA / Canada border crossing.
    – risingPhoenix1979
    Jan 29, 2020 at 18:28
  • I have an update. On Wed, 2020-03-11 I received an email from the DHS and logged into ttp.dhs.gov to sign up for a Fri, 2020-05-01, 12:00 interview at the Blaine, WA NEXUS and FAST Enrollment Center. I'll let yall know how the interview went and when I finally get my Nexus card.
    – risingPhoenix1979
    Mar 13, 2020 at 21:14

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