NEXUS Denied or Revoked? CBP and CBSA Appeal Routes

NEXUS is the one trusted traveler program that two governments run together, which is why a NEXUS denial raises a question that a Global Entry denial doesn’t: who said no? The answer decides where you send a request, what it has to contain and how long you have. This guide sets out both routes as each agency publishes them. It is general information, not legal advice.

Two countries have to say yes

CBP’s NEXUS eligibility page is blunt about it: “Both the United States and Canada must approve your application. Denial of an application by either country will prevent you from participating in the NEXUS program.” The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) describes the same thing from its side: each agency performs its own risk assessment, and you only go on to the interview if you pass both.

Renewals work the same way. CBP’s renewal page says a member who wants to stay in NEXUS has to apply again, satisfy the eligibility criteria, be admissible to both countries and pass risk assessments by both. Everything goes through the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) website, which CBP operates; the CBSA notes that the information you enter there is shared with it to decide your eligibility.

The reasons each side lists

CBP’s list of reasons you may not be eligible for NEXUS covers:

giving false or incomplete answers on the application;
a conviction for any criminal offense, or pending charges or outstanding warrants, driving under the influence included;
having been found in violation of customs, immigration or agriculture rules or laws in any country;
being the subject of an ongoing investigation by a federal, state or local law enforcement agency;
a denied firearm purchase, or a criminal pardon from any country;
inadmissibility to the U.S., including an approved waiver of inadmissibility or parole documentation;
being unable to satisfy CBP or the CBSA of your low-risk status.

The CBSA adds points of its own. A conviction in any country without a pardon may make you ineligible, and it names impaired driving as an example. Permanent residents must have lived in Canada or the U.S. for at least 3 years, which it defines as physical presence for at least 183 of the 365 days in each of those years, counted back from the day you applied. It also says a member can lose NEXUS over pending criminal charges with no judicial decision available, or available in the near term.

Which country made the decision?

Your decision notice is posted to your TTP account. Read it for the reason and for any sign of which agency decided before you pick a route, because the two reviews don’t overlap: the CBSA’s appeal page sends CBP decisions to the U.S. Ombudsman and keeps its own decisions for its own reviewers.

If the notice doesn’t make it clear, ask. The CBSA lists phone lines for its Canadian Processing Centres for questions about NEXUS applications and renewals, and points problems with the TTP account itself to CBP. On the U.S. side, the enrollment center that handled your interview is the usual first stop; our guide to a denial after the interview explains why.

If CBP decided: the Ombudsman

CBP says it gives every denied or revoked traveler the reason in writing. If you believe its decision rested on inaccurate or incomplete information, its Trusted Traveler Program Denials page says you may request reconsideration through the TTP website, and the CBSA’s appeal page confirms that route for U.S. decisions on NEXUS.

CBP’s checklist is the same one used for Global Entry: the date of denial and the reason from the letter, a summary that clears up the record or explains the incident or arrest, a court disposition in PDF for every arrest or conviction even if it was expunged, and anything else you think may influence the Ombudsman. Write it in English. Our guide on how to request reconsideration walks through each part, and the sample reconsideration letter shows the layout. Where those pages say Global Entry, name NEXUS in your own letter.

For the CBP side of a NEXUS decision

Page 5 of the kit has you tick the program (Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI) and whether it was a denial or a revocation. Pages 12–13 cover the Ombudsman request, page 20 is the supporting-documents checklist, and the four reconsideration templates have a Program line for NEXUS. The kit doesn’t cover a CBSA review.

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If the CBSA decided: a CBSA review

A refusal or cancellation by the CBSA is reviewed by officials in its Recourse Directorate, who the CBSA says conduct impartial reviews. The clock is short. Your request must arrive within 90 days of the decision taking effect, and it takes effect immediately if you were told in person, or 15 days after the notice was mailed to you.

You can file an E-Appeal online or write to the Recourse Directorate in Ottawa. The CBSA asks for:

your name, current address and daytime phone number;
the program (NEXUS) and your Client ID;
a detailed explanation of what led to the refusal or cancellation;
a certified criminal record check, if one applies;
authorization to deal with your representative, if you have one;
any other supporting information or documents.

Leaving items out may delay the review. A Recourse official may contact you for more information, and the decision comes by registered letter with reasons. There is no automatic right of appeal after that, but the CBSA says you may apply to the Federal Court for judicial review under section 18.1 of the Federal Courts Act within 30 days of being told the decision.

Canada’s waiting periods before you reapply

When the CBSA cancels a membership, it sets a period during which you can’t reapply, based on the reason. A few rows from its table:

Reason for the cancellation	Wait before you may reapply
Failing to declare goods over your personal exemptions	1 year
Failing to carry the right documents, or to update your immigration status	1 year
Helping a non-member through, or transferring your card	2 years
A Customs Act seizure or forfeiture, or prohibited goods or weapons	1 to 7 years
A summary offence (in the U.S., a misdemeanor)	10 years after the sentence ended
A conviction involving narcotics, controlled drugs or weapons	Not eligible to reapply

The clock starts on the day of the violation, on the day the enforcement action was recorded, or, after a conviction, once the sentence is complete. Several contraventions mean the longest period, 10 years. The table is the CBSA’s; CBP’s NEXUS pages that we read don’t publish waiting periods for its own decisions.

Fee and lost benefits

The NEXUS application fee is $120 (USD) per adult and isn’t refunded; applicants under 18 apply too, free of charge, and membership lasts five years. A refusal or cancellation ends access to the NEXUS lanes at the land border, the Global Entry kiosks at Canadian airports and the TSA PreCheck lines the CBSA lists for members. For the airport security side, see TSA PreCheck after a denial or revocation.

When to get advice first

Don’t write to either agency yet if a charge is still open, an investigation is under way, or the letter touches on immigration status or admissibility. The kit says to speak to a lawyer first in those cases, and to see an immigration lawyer before describing any violation if you aren’t a U.S. citizen (pages 4 and 28). A cancellation the CBSA tied to a Canadian law is a question for Canadian advice, which this site doesn’t cover. See when a lawyer makes sense, the SENTRI guide for the southern-border program, or all our guides.

Prepare a CBP reconsideration request for NEXUS

The kit’s triage map on page 6 matches your letter’s wording to a reason page, and the planner keeps your dates in one place while you gather records.

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Independent, not affiliated with CBP, DHS, TSA or any government agency. No outcome is promised.

Official sources

This guide is general information about processes the U.S. government publishes. It is not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with CBP, DHS, TSA or any government agency. Nothing here predicts or promises an outcome.