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Retinal Eye Scan - COOL!

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petitelover

International User
Jan 14, 2003
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Planet Earth
On a recent trip to Canada, I had the pleasure of standing in front of a retinal scan identification machine at customs and before I knew it, a ticket popped out of the machine and I was on my way with not even the need to show my Nexus card. No hassles whatsoever. As I understand it, the machine reads the blood vessel pattern of the retina on my eye and matches it up to the one I took to add to my Nexus card. Unbelievable where technology is today!
 
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It's great. Anytime you are flying to or from the USA through Toronto (Vancouver and Montreal also) you can use the eye scanner. I've had my NEXUS card for about a year and it's been that long since I've had to talk to a customs's official - Canadian or America.

Now if only Air Canada could get the luggage to the baggage claim faster than 45 minutes the not waiting in line at customs would seem that much better.

As it stands now you fly through customs and then wait so long at baggage claim all the people that were in line at customs are there waiting for their bags with you.
 
Do they have the NEXUS machines yet for when you are transferring from elsewhere in Canada through Toronto to the US?

I noticed that the NEXUS machines at Pearson US Customs area are only if you are originating from Toronto.
 
How does the machine know if you are sneaking anything you should not be in to the country.

Oh I know NEXUS people are screened before getting the pass. Still, wasn't too long ago-under a year I believe, customs caught a truck driver with a whole lot of dope and money. The agent said he look worried while handing his pass over so he was send over for a better look.

This was at the Detroit-Canada crossing, he was driving a semi truck...
 
NEXUS people are still subject to search, albeit less frequently. The program merely says this subset of people are less suspect, and the more people that get NEXUS, the more they can concentrate on smugglers, terrorists, etc.

At air crossings, you can only have 2 bags, and those 2 bags are going to be scanned six ways until Sunday by the airport security who probably work in conjunction with customs.

For land crossings, scanning machines, x-rays, etc. are probably on order, I bet.
 
S.C. Joe said:
Oh I know NEXUS people are screened before getting the pass.
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When I applied I went to Pearson for interviews by both Canada and US customs. They made it perfectly clear that they would do random checks just to keep everyone honest.

I guess the difference between air and ground travel is that when you are at the airport you have zero interaction with the custom agents. You scan your eye, answer a few questions on the touch screen, get your reciept from the machine and then just hand it and your decleration form over to an agent.

When you are driving you have to stop and talk to an agent. Typically they don't ask anything but every once in while you might get a few extra questions. I guess this is where they determine if you 'qualify' for a random check.
 
ig-88 said:
Do they have the NEXUS machines yet for when you are transferring from elsewhere in Canada through Toronto to the US?

I noticed that the NEXUS machines at Pearson US Customs area are only if you are originating from Toronto.
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My experience has been only going into Toronto or Montreal airport. Going back to the states - the old customs routine. Wonder why they only have it going into Canada and not back to the States.
 
petitelover said:
My experience has been only going into Toronto or Montreal airport. Going back to the states - the old customs routine. Wonder why they only have it going into Canada and not back to the States.
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There are NEXUS kiosks with the retinal eye scanners in both terminals at Pearson. You can use them departing from or retunring to Toronto.

In teminal 1 there are I think 3 and they are between the two counters in the middle of the customs hall. I can't remember terminal 2 all that good except that I left from there a few weeks ago and they also have the kiosks. I think they might be to the far left in the room but not 100%.
 
yaya17 said:
There are NEXUS kiosks with the retinal eye scanners in both terminals at Pearson. You can use them departing from or retunring to Toronto.

In teminal 1 there are I think 3 and they are between the two counters in the middle of the customs hall. I can't remember terminal 2 all that good except that I left from there a few weeks ago and they also have the kiosks. I think they might be to the far left in the room but not 100%.
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Departing from YUL or YYZ to the States, it has been my experience the eye scanners are not used and Nexus pass holders have to stand in line like everyone else.
 
petitelover said:
Departing from YUL or YYZ to the States, it has been my experience the eye scanners are not used and Nexus pass holders have to stand in line like everyone else.
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Don't know what to say. I've had NEXUS for almost a year now and travel out of YYZ at least 4 times a month. Mostly out of terminal 1 but occasionally out of 2. In both cases I have used the NEXUS kiosks to clear US customs in YYZ.

Like I said before in terminal 1 they are right in the middle of the room and in 2 I think they are all the way to the left - right beside the flight crew line and US citizen line.
 
yaya17 said:
Don't know what to say. I've had NEXUS for almost a year now and travel out of YYZ at least 4 times a month. Mostly out of terminal 1 but occasionally out of 2. In both cases I have used the NEXUS kiosks to clear US customs in YYZ.

Like I said before in terminal 1 they are right in the middle of the room and in 2 I think they are all the way to the left - right beside the flight crew line and US citizen line.
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Interesting. I can even recall one customs officer telling me out of Toronto that Nexus was not able to be used. I think I was flying from Montreal to Toronto back to the states. He did mention if I had originated out of Toronto I could have used it.
 
petitelover said:
Interesting. I can even recall one customs officer telling me out of Toronto that Nexus was not able to be used. I think I was flying from Montreal to Toronto back to the states. He did mention if I had originated out of Toronto I could have used it.
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Makes sense. I have never orignated from anywhere but YYZ when travelling to the US. I just assumed that no matter where you were coming from there was only one US customs area per terminal.
 
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