NEXUS Highway and FAST Programs
(Trusted Travellers)
Evaluation Study

Notes

1. Smart Border Declaration, http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/anti-terrorism/declaration-en.asp. [Return to text]
2. For the purposes of this evaluation, the term “NEXUS Highway” refers to the land mode portion of the now-harmonized NEXUS program, which no longer distinguishes between the air, land and marine modes of transportation. [Return to text]
3. An evaluation of the goods component of the FAST program was covered in the earlier CBSA evaluation report of the Customs Self Assessment program (http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2007/csaev-padee-eng.html). [Return to text]
4. The AIS programs include the following: NEXUS, FAST, CANPASS and the Commercial Driver Registration Program. [Return to text]
5. Smart Border Declaration, http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/anti-terrorism/declaration-en.asp. [Return to text]
6. For the purposes of this evaluation, the term “NEXUS Highway” refers to the land mode portion of the now-harmonized NEXUS program, which no longer distinguishes between the air, land and marine modes of transportation. [Return to text]
7. The CSA/FAST border clearance option is available for the importation into Canada of goods made in and arriving from the United States primarily via the highway mode of transportation. FAST participants cannot use CSA/FAST clearance for the importation of goods subject to other federal government departments’ regulations, offshore goods, goods of third-party origin, and goods imported by non-resident importers. [Return to text]
8. All of the eight NEXUS ECs at airports and the Fort Erie Land Enrolment EC are equipped with iris scan technology. The rest of the ECs in Canada, and none in the United States, are equipped with this technology. [Return to text]
9. Until it was adjusted in 2007 to reflect the current exchange rate, the processing fee was CAN$80 or US$50. [Return to text]
10. Prior to October 2007, NEXUS members had to be interviewed within 180 days of their invitation letter. [Return to text]
11. NEXUS–Finalize Enrolment: Standard Operating Procedures, August 2007. [Return to text]
12. Smart Border Declaration, http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/anti-terrorism/declaration-en.asp. [Return to text]
13. Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Summit, http://www.spp.gov/factsheet.asp?dName=fact_sheets. [Return to text]
14. In 2006–2007, the CBSA processed 69,772,698 people by land. [Return to text]
15. CBSA Report on Plans and Priorities 2007–2008, Section III, p. 7. [Return to text]
16. CBSA Report on Plans and Priorities 2007–2008, Section III, p. 7. [Return to text]
17. The business community’s support of NEXUS and FAST is based on the fact that facilitated border crossing contributes to the profitability of their business (e.g. the automotive industry relies heavily on just-in-time delivery. The tourism industry depends on travellers from the United States. Toll fees for cars and weight fees for trucks are collected by bridge authorities. In short, increased profits occur with increased traffic volume.). [Return to text]
18. In January 2007, four directors general of three CBSA branches signed an agreement on roles and responsibilities relating to the AIS programs. The full signing of this agreement and the circulation of a memorandum for all staff describing the transfer of AIS projects to programs would facilitate the full implementation of the agreement. [Return to text]
19. In November 2007, the IST Branch produced a governance framework that will strengthen the role of sponsoring branches at all phases of major projects. The transition from projects to programs will benefit from increased involvement of the sponsoring branches at all stages of project development and testing. Transferring a fully developed program to another branch with limited knowledge of the program has created difficulties in the past. [Return to text]
20. See footnotes 18 and 19 for information on the IST Branch governance framework Agreement on the Roles and Responsibilities for CBSA AIS Programs. [Return to text]
21. NEXUS Application. [Return to text]
22. Audit of the NEXUS Application Process: Internal Audit Report, 2007, http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2007/nexus-eng.html. [Return to text]
23. CBSA, Baseline Survey: Final Report, 2007. Ekos Research Associates. [Return to text]
24. Percentage may not equal 100 due to rounzg. [Return to text]
25. Applications rejected for administrative reasons consisted primarily of incomplete forms. [Return to text]
26. Customs Self Assessment Program Evaluation Study, 2007, http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2007/csaev-padee-eng.html. [Return to text]
27. According to the 2001 Census, 263,510 individuals identified truck driving as their profession in Canada. [Return to text]
28. CMRS, March 2008. [Return to text]
29. In March 2007, there were a total of 1,782 referrals for examination from a total of 135,445 NEXUS Highway passages. During the same period, out of a total of 3,060,029 highway travellers, there were 168, 301 referrals for examination. [Return to text]
30. Cost of Border Delays to Ontario, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, May 2004, p. 4. [Return to text]
31. Since the program started in 2002 and membership is valid for five years, NEXUS cards started expiring in June 2007, which explains the high volume of renewal applications. [Return to text]
32. The NEXUS Marine pilot project was operational during the 2005 boating season from May 1 to September 30, 2005 in the Detroit–Windsor area along the Detroit River from the mouth of Lake St. Clair to the mouth of Lake Erie. [Return to text]
33. Audit of the NEXUS Application Process: Internal Audit Report, 2007, http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2007/nexus-eng.html. [Return to text]
34. According to the related SOPs, reapplications can be made for AIS programs whereby clients had initially applied to a program but were rejected (i.e. they failed the risk assessment) or if their membership was cancelled due to a program violation. Reapplications can also be done to reassess Canadian risk decisions. [Return to text]
35. Drivers Registration Program Manual, October 31, 2006, p. 93 and 105. [Return to text]
36. The CBSA officer has the authority, at any point during the interview process, to deny membership, with justification. Although examples of potential reasons for denial of membership are provided, the officer has full discretion and can deny membership if he or she thinks that the applicant is not a good candidate for the AIS program. NEXUS enrolment SOP 2007. [Return to text]
37. Until November 2007, the application fee for NEXUS or FAST membership was CAN$80 or US$50. This fee structure was set in 2006 with the launch of NEXUS Highway. However, with Canadian and U.S. currency at par, this fee could no longer be supported. Applicants now pay CAN or US$50. The CBSA is also planning to revise the information given out to NEXUS and FAST applicants to further clarify the option of paying in the currency of their choice.[Return to text]
38. Research on Alternative Documentation for Land and Sea Travel, Harris/Decima, September 2007. [Return to text]
39. When NEXUS was first piloted, several individuals who sent in their application did not show up at an EC to complete the enrolment process as they did not have to pay the application fee. (Source: Interview with a U.S. CBP officer.) [Return to text]
40. This ratio was obtained by dividing the percentage of respondents who crossed the land border more than 10 times by the percentage of respondents who used NEXUS lanes more than 10 times. [Return to text]
41. When entering the United States, members are allowed to use NEXUS lanes even when they have goods to declare. [Return to text]
42. Niagara–Fort Erie CPC [Return to text]
43. A post-implementation review of NEXUS Highway conducted in 2004 reported the following: “Northbound compliance rates achieved levels of 98.6% and 99.8% for the regular and NEXUS lanes, respectively. Non-compliance rates, therefore, compute to 0.2% for the NEXUS lanes and 1.4% for the regular lanes, seven times higher than the NEXUS lanes.” NEXUS Highway Post Implementation Review Southern Ontario/Michigan – New. [Return to text]
44. CBSA. People’s Year in Review, Executive Summary 2006–2007. [Return to text]
45. A series of AMPS penalties are specifically for contraventions of CSA policy and legislation. [Return to text]
46. For importers, warnings for late accounting (C244) are recorded automatically in the system. At the end of the calendar year, the CSA team performs a compliance review for late accounting that generates the C246 penalty. If the threshold for late accounting transactions is exceeded, a C246 penalty is assessed for each transaction above the threshold. [Return to text]
47. CMRS, September 2007. [Return to text]
48. NEXUS Highway SOPs: the Passage Process. [Return to text]
49. 2006–2007 PSAT budget report. [Return to text]
50. Land border crossings with the most significant volume of truck traffic have seen a lengthening of the designated FAST lane approaching PIL booths. This gives FAST drivers a significant advantage over regular commercial lane traffic. At Sarnia’s Blue Water Bridge, the middle lane of the bridge is dedicated to NEXUS and FAST drivers only. Improvements to the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel are also in the planning stage. [Return to text]
51. A spike in applications was seen when the announcement of a harmonized NEXUS program was made in December 2006. Also, previous surveys of NEXUS Air and Marine members conducted by the Evaluation Division found that members were highly interested in using their NEXUS card for all modes of transportation. [Return to text]
52. Discussions with the United States have resulted in Canadian pardons being accepted by the United States when completing their risk assessments for FAST applicants. Both NEXUS Highway and FAST program applicants must be of good character. FAST applicants can have a previous customs or Criminal Code infraction and still become members. For NEXUS applicants, on the other hand, zero tolerance is enforced. [Return to text]
53. A spike in applications was seen when the announcement of a harmonized NEXUS program was made in December 2006. Also, previous surveys of NEXUS Air and Marine members conducted by the Evaluation Division found that members were highly interested in using their NEXUS card for all modes of transportation. [Return to text]
54. Discussions with the United States have resulted in Canadian pardons being accepted by the United States when completing their risk assessments for FAST applicants. Both NEXUS Highway and FAST program applicants must be of good character. FAST applicants can have a previous customs or Criminal Code infraction and still become members. For NEXUS applicants, on the other hand, zero tolerance is enforced. [Return to text]
55. Cost of Border Delays to Ontario, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, May 2004, p. 8. [Return to text]
56. Reaching a Tipping Point: Effects of Post-9/11 Border Security on Canada’s Trade and Investment, The Conference Board of Canada. June 2007, p. 10. [Return to text]
57. The remaining 38% of FAST drivers are permanent employees of participating importers. [Return to text]
58. http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2005/cap-int-eval-eng.html [Return to text]
59. There are three FAST-dedicated PIL booths in Canada, but only the Sarnia Blue Water Bridge has a dedicated approach lane leading to the FAST PIL booth. [Return to text]