On July 10, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that Canada and the United States are “continuing to deliver on key commitments under the Beyond the Border Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.” An integral part was the lifting by the CBSA of the three-year residency requirement for both Canadian and American citizens to apply to NEXUS that became effective on June 30.

The Honorable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety in Canada, said: “Taking steps to expand NEXUS membership and enhance its benefits will help ensure more pre-screened travelers enjoy expedited processing at the border.” He went on: “Amending the three-year requirement will attract new members who would have previously not been eligible to apply to NEXUS. Increased NEXUS membership will encourage cross border travel and create economic benefits for both countries.”

The press release from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC noted that “by amending the three-year residency requirement, the CBSA is extending NEXUS membership eligibility to citizens of Canada and the United States currently residing abroad, or who have recently returned to Canada or the United States.”

Both the CBSA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) recently announced the initiation of “enrollment blitzes” designed “to assist with increasing application volumes.” In May and June 2012 three successful blitzes “enrolled over 1,000 new members of the NEXUS program.”