When your card expires, do you have to redo the application and interviews, or if you kept your nose clean, it gets automatically renewed?
It is like the lottery. I tried to renew 4 months before it expired during COVID, but I was selected to have to do a reinterview. But no sites were open, and the year or so period expired after conditional approval, subject to a new interview. So I reapplied again, repaid the fee, and got renewed immediately. On a travel board, it was discussed that some unlucky folks - me - were drawn randomly to have to be reinterviewed.
Once, in the L O N G line stretching out into the main hall at Toronto YYZ just after COVID, I mentioned my renewal mess to the officer directing the massive crowd for regular immigration lines since I had not been renewed. He laughed and said even he, as an immigration agent, had the same experience I had. Now, it is smooth. Recent trip at YYZ lots of unused Nexus new machines. But it had a terrible time reading my face. I am 6-1, so I thought I needed to back up more, kept bending, trying to get the machine to match my picture. Of course, I am much older than when the initial Nexus picture was taken. Finally, an agent saw my dilemma and kicked the machine a few times - well, not quite, but after failed attempts, got it to give me the ticket to clear me!! The latest machines have a camera on a trolley that goes up and down trying to adjust for the height your face is at, at least at YYZ Toronto, where you do US customs in Toronto.
It is well worth it since it includes Global Entry. I used it to bypass regular lines in Frankfurt when returning to the US.
The initial interview at YYZ almost a decade ago was quite brief, but of course, I had to fly there the regular way to do it.
This is a reminder for those who have not seen my story. A few years before, I was detained flying into Victoria, BC, for secondary screening. So, somehow, they thought I had a connection to Florida—probably thought I was someone with a similar name. At that point, I had only been to Florida as a child, going to Disneyland.
A discussion of Terb/Perb was opened up since they saw links to it on my laptop, which got into the whole escort discussion. I quoted them the Canadian code - this was back when outcalls were legal but not bawdy (incalls) or living off the avails. The older agent went to research the law, and the younger agent was very interested in what we talked to prostitutes about on terb/perb. He was very curious, and I bet he was on Terb that night! The older agent discovered I was right about the law and cleared me. I assured them I was only seeing outcall. This was when incalls were popular in Sanich - before the sheriff told all the agency incalls they should move to Victoria. One huge agency on the Main Street DT Victoria, and police were only interested in periodic checks; all had their sexwork license (about $100 yr) and were of legal age. They were unconcerned about bawdy- the law at the time.
I was concerned about whether my many trips to Canada would cause me problems in the future. Honestly, I had been flagged as not the guy they mixed me up with. Or maybe it would keep coming up. So, I applied for Nexus. The interview was very short, and nothing came up about the Victoria incident.
Oh yes, in the Victoria questioning, they found Court papers I had with me about the founder of TER (not TERB), who had hired a hit man to go after me and an escort. I was on the witness list, and the trial was rescheduled after many postponements, during which I had booked a hotel and a plane for Canada. The DA said, "Don't worry; enjoy Canada." I wasn't needed, just the undercover cop who was hired to do the hit.
I had a shocking phone call on a Sunday afternoon from the major crimes unit of the Phoenix PD that told me the story initially. I called 911 to verify that they were real cops. Yes, the hitman/cop (who looked the part) met me at my home with the lead investigator on Monday. In the end, he was convicted, went to jail, but didn't qualify for the CA 3 strikes law in AZ, from 2 priors in California, so he would do many more years in prison. The Phoenix PD also had me seek workers to come forward for the rape he committed, and they would be given immunity, but none did. Long story still on my old website. The TER founder (David E.) was after me since I ran the Phoenix Private email list of about 1000 folks, including zillions of escorts who reported the rape by David E, so he wanted a hit man to break my legs. And discussed murdering another well-known escort for her lawsuit against him when he wrote fake bad reviews of her, since she would not give him free services, etc.
The well-known, attractive female Phoenix vice cop begged me to get escorts to come forward. She also posted as police on a large Las Vegas board, which David E was also on. The board owner called me about the vice cop posting on his board asking, "is this for real?" "Yes, it is for real, they want to get him for rape not just the hit man," I told the LV board owner
I was also involved in working with Scottsdale PD on a rapist client who almost killed at least 12 sexworkers we know of. They did great work, even offering protection for one victim who got threatening phone calls while in CA. They couldn't care less about the sexwork occupation when serious real crime was the issue. Escorts testified at trial, and the attacker is doing 100 years in prison. I have the extensive story on my old website.
The New York Times even interviewed me for the story, and a local TV station, where I appeared in shadow. None of this has ever come up with Nexus, etc.
However, I hear that if you have an alcohol or weed conviction in your youth, this may be an immigration issue with Canada.