Reopening an Expired Category F4 Case?

[ed990 0]

I know this may sound a little naive as I'm not well versed with immigration procedures; anyhow here goes:

I contacted NVC in October 2013 on behalf of my mother (the applicant) regarding the status of her F4 case. The immigration petition was submitted in 1988 by my mother's brother (the petitioner), who is a US citizen for over 30 years now, and was given a Priority Date of 13th September 1992.

After providing all details in the email, I got a reply from NVC which clearly mentioned the Case Number. The case had been processed by NVC and forwarded to the concerned embassy for expeditious processing. The email also mentioned that the petition was no longer located at the NVC and that the applicant (my mother) must resubmit the inquiry or request and all future correspondence to the US Embassy.

As such, after receiving this reply I felt optimistic that the case could be pursued further despite being so old. Immediately, I checked the status of the case (using the Case Number mentioned in the NVC email) on the following website: https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC/ My mother was glad to see that the case had not been closed at that point in time (November, 2013). Please refer to the first attachment.

Thereafter, as directed by the NVC email, I emailed the Islamabad Embassy: http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/contact-information/visa-inquiries.html

I provided all the specifics of my mother's case as required in the form and even attached a scanned copy of the original NVC letter from May, 1994. I also mentioned the change of my mother's postal address so that any correspondence from the embassy may be directed to the proper address.

I have emailed the Embassy with all these details on numerous occasions and have not received a single reply since last November. I logged on to the CEAC website today and to my utter shock and disappointment, the case has been EXPIRED (as can be seen in the second attachment)!!! The case has been destroyed!

I feel we have been hard done by. There is no other way to contact the embassy apart from faxing them and email is the quickest. Despite the fact that I emailed them at least 3 times with all requisite details, there was never a response. I know it sounds like a very long shot but is there anything that the my mother or her brother (the petitioner) can do to get this case reopened?? I'm hoping someone on this forum went through a similar scenario.

Any kind of help or feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[jan22 3,058]

So, after seeing the first notice in the CEAC in November 2013 (the one dated September 2013), did you provide the statement they requested (i.e., the explanation for why not pursuing the immigrant visa application for at least a year was for reasons beyond your control)? If so, it seems they did not accept the explanation and, therefore, closed the file. Sounds like there is no file to reopen, as it has been destroyed....unfortunately, looks like you need to start all over.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hi,

Sorry about your situation.

Consult with a qualified immigration attorney.

This is beyond a DIY for amateurs on the Internet.