Lost or No receipt. What should I do

[haveQs]

I applied for my parents I130 in May 1998. I do not have any receipt from the INS. Either I did not receive it in mail, or it is lost. What can I do?

[Tsue123]

I think you should consult a immigration lawyer to ease your panic. I am sorry for that, but you are not sure if you have received a receipt letter or not? So how did you inquire about the status of the case.
Let's assume you did not receive it at all, you should go to INS site and find a form that requests for duplicate letter. Probably Immihelp has it. Next time you call them ask them what to do. I hope you have a copy of all the documents and the application you have sent to INS. One more thing have you ever inquired about the approval of the initial I130 petition. Is the case with the INS or National Visa Center(after the approval).
As far as time limit goes never expect time limits INS limits to come true. Probably everything is going good on INS's part and may be it is very close. You are not very well informed of INS procedures and now you worry for nothing.
I think you don't need a receipt letter, but the receipt number should be fine to get the needed information. If you can get that from INS then you can use that for later inquiries.
Just don't worry