NEXUS/Global Entry Unavailable at Major Airports Across the Country

The NEXUS/Global Entry lane is currently closed at YYZ, YVR, YYC, and YUL, leaving travellers confused after the program was first slated for suspension, only for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to later reverse that decision.

The airports announced the closures on their official X accounts Sunday afternoon. Earlier that day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that both the PreCheck and Global Entry programs would be suspended starting at 6 a.m. ET because of a partial government shutdown.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced later on Sunday it had reversed its decision to suspend the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck program.

The closures comes amid a partial government shutdown affecting only the DHS, after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement due to a deadlock over immigration enforcement policy.

The TSA will “assess the situation on a case-by-case basis and adjust its operations” based on staff changes, an agency spokesman told CNN on Sunday.

“These trusted traveller programs enhance air safety and improve the efficiency of screening. They are funded by user fees, and there is no reason, at this time, to suspend them,” Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, told CNN.

Suspending these programs would have constituted a significant escalation in the impact of the DHS closure on travellers, effectively eliminating expedited airport screening lanes and priority customs processing used by millions of frequent travellers — U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and international passengers from more than 20 countries.

Together, DHS’s trusted traveller programs cover more than 40 million pre-approved air passengers, according to the TSA.

As a reminder, major Canadian airports allow passengers to clear customs before boarding a flight to the United States, with an express line for Nexus/Global Entry members.