NEXUS Air off to a flying start at the Vancouver International Airport

author avatar
CIC News
Published: December 1, 2004

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and United States Customs and Border Protection have launched the NEXUS Air pilot project at the Vancouver International Airport.

The program is designed to speed up the border clearance process for pre-approved, low-risk air travellers. NEXUS Air uses biometric iris recognition technology to ensure the highest level of border security, while making travel convenient and safe for passengers.

NEXUS Air is open to citizens or permanent residents of Canada and the U.S. and allows low-risk, pre-approved travellers to clear customs and immigration by simply looking into a camera that recognizes the iris as proof of identity. This allows both Canada and the United States to focus efforts on unknown or high-risk travellers and goods. The processing fee is $80 CAN or $50 US and is good for the duration of the project.

This international partnership will allow pre-qualified, low risk travelers to be processed with little or no delay by both U.S. and Canadian border officials.

When traveling from the Vancouver International Airport, NEXUS Air members will be able to access the FasTrack lane at the airport's security screening points by showing their NEXUS Air membership card and boarding pass to a screening officer. NEXUS Air members will continue to be subject to the same rigorous security standards as all travellers.

NEXUS Air was implemented on November 30, 2004, and will run until April 30, 2006.

Share this article
Share your voice
Did you find this article helpful?
Thank you for your feedback.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Did you find this article helpful?
Please provide a response
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Please contact us if you would like to share additional feedback, have a question, or would like Canadian immigration assistance.
  • Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
  • Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
Top Stories
Canada is already returning citizenship certificates it demanded days ago from lost Canadians
British Columbia extends over 270 invitations to high economic impact candidates in latest draw
Canada moves to enshrine early access to work permits for asylum seekers
Join our free newsletter. Get Canada's top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe
More in Work
Canada moves to enshrine early access to work permits for asylum seekers
Ottawa has moved to make permanent the ability for asylum claimants to obtain faster access to work permits.
Canada eases access to work permits for provincial nominees
Provincial nominees and their spouses now have faster access to work permits.
Wait time drops for in-Canada work permit applications and extensions
LMIA wait times improve for select Temporary Foreign Worker Program streams
As of April 2026, some employers are seeing their LMIA applications processed faster.
Link copied to clipboard