Hi all. Apologies for bringing this topic back up again. I would like to explain my current scenario and would like to seek advice as it is very very similar to what the OP had.
I came to BC on a Work Permit last year(May 2021). I had initially filed for an Export and got an ITIN and gave 72 hour notice. However, at the border, I made a stupid mistake of taking the wrong turn because of which I ended up directly at the Canadian Border instead of stopping first at the US CBP to export my car. I immediately contacted the broker through whom I had obtained my ITIN and he cancelled it immediately to make sure that I was not in violation of any sorts.
The CBSA officers at the Port Of Entry (Blaine) were understanding and did a temporary import of my vehicle and sent me on my way. With that temporary import done, I went to Canadian Tire, fixed my car to be compliant, and then went to ICBC to get my insurance and registration. At that point, my California Title for the car was taken from me. (Not sure if I will ever see it again lol). They registered my vehicle, got me my new plates and everything (I still have my CA plates with me though).
Fast Forward to now and I became a PR a couple of weeks back. Now I need to do a permanent export and import of my vehicle. My problem at this point is that I do not possess a visa to enter the US. I have applied for a visitor visa but due to appointment unavailability, I still don't have a visa so cannot legally enter the USA.
I understand that the car can still be imported permanently if I just drive my car to the same border that I entered through (I am waiting for my PR Card to arrive and don't want to go there with just my eCoPR in hand). However, at this point, how do I export my car from the US to stay legal? Do I apply for a duplicate title from California DMV? I still have the original bill of sale that I was given by Volvo Palo Alto when I purchased my car which lists my name and the VIN number. More importantly, do I need to enter USA to finish exporting my vehicle? Can I have someone else drive my car across the border, keep it in the states for 72 hours and drive it back to finish the export process?
Apologies for the long post. Any help would be deeply appreciated! If you live in the BC area, I will buy you a beer as well if you could help!