Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - November 2008
Canadian border officials are concerned over the security of fast-track border crossing cards, according to a recent report in the Globe and Mail.
The cards, called Nexus passes, were initially introduced to expedite border crossings for individuals who frequently travel back-and-forth across the U.S.-Canadian border.
However, recent internal investigations conducted by the Canada Border Services Agency have found that border officials are increasingly questioning the program itself and are troubled by policy discrepancies between Canada and the United States.
Officially, only individuals who pass �security screenings� are allowed to carry the Nexus cards. However, the qualifications of such screenings differ between the two countries. A candidate who has been convicted of drunk driving in Canada would most likely be rejected but, in the U.S. drunk driving is not a criminal offence and thus the application may still be approved.
Further, the follow-up and monitoring procedures differ in the two nations. In the U.S. border officials run daily checks on all Nexus card-holders. In Canada no such policies are adhered to and, in some cases, over a year can go by before officials run a check.
Officials would not comment on the investigation as reported in the Globe and Mail, saying only that �the CSBA is working to maximize the use of intelligence information to ensure that the persons approved in the program are, indeed, low risk.�
Source: Globe and Mail
