[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-306444-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":80,"doc-detail-306444-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","immigration-update-february-18-2025","Immigration Update - February 18, 2025","","Immigration Update - February 18, 2025 summarizes major U.S. immigration developments affecting visa availability, labor certification record retention, employment authorization verification, and passport application requirements. It reports the March visa bulletin’s retrogression for EB-4/SR and the SR expiration timeline; OFLC’s plan to delete FLAG records older than five years; DHS guidance on I-9 reverification for Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries; and State Department passport form changes tied to a legal challenge. It also covers an EOIR policy memo and rescission of a prior default filing-deadline rule.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/immigration-update-february-18-2025/306444/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/immigration-update-february-18-2025/306444.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Caleb Sterling","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-10","2026-09-19",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What did the March 2025 Visa Bulletin announce about EB-4 and SR categories?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"It announced retrogression of the final action date for EB-4/SR categories and warned they may become “Unavailable,” affecting visa availability starting October 1, 2025 and fiscal year 2026. It also set an SR expiration date of March 14, 2025.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"How will older labor certification records be handled in the FLAG system?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"Records more than five years old will be deleted from FLAG starting March 20, 2025, based on each case’s final determination date. Stakeholders are advised to download records they want to retain before the deadline.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What guidance was provided for employers regarding I-9 reverification for Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Employers must reverify 2021 Venezuela TPS beneficiaries with specified EAD category codes and expiration dates before they begin work on March 11, 2025. For 2023 TPS beneficiaries under the described EAD conditions, reverification is required before work begins on April 3, 2025.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},306444,1791672050,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,88,93,98,103,108,113,117,122],{"id":84,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":89,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":90,"show_sort_weight":91,"slug":92},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":94,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":99,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},18,30,"letters",{"id":118,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":123,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":125},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":127},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":128,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":22,"category_id":114,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":135,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":120,"language":136,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":140,"read_time":26},962084925290,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","Immigration Update-February 18, 2025  \n[https://cyrusmehta.com/blog/2025/02/18/immigration-update-february-18-2025/](https://cyrusmehta.com/blog/2025/02/18/immigration-update-february-18-2025/)  \nIMMIGRATION UPDATE-FEBRUARY 18, 2025  \nPosted on February 18, 2025 by Cyrus Mehta  \nHeadlines:  \nMarch Visa Bulletin Announces Retrogression of EB-4 Category, Religious Workers Expiration – The bulletin announces retrogression of the final action date in the EB-4/SR categories.  \nOFLC Announces Deletion of Older Records in FLAG System – Records more than five years old will be deleted from the Foreign Labor Access Gateway System beginning on March 20, 2025.  \nDOS Releases Employer Guidance on I-9 Reverification Process for Venezuelan TPS Beneficiaries – The Department of Homeland Security released guidance for employers on completing the Form I-9 work authorization verification form for Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries.  \nDOS Requests Public Comments on Passport Application Changes; Lawsuit Filed – The Department of State updated the application form to replace\"gender\" with \"sex\" and to request the applicant's \"biological sex at birth, male'M' or female 'F'.\" A lawsuit challenging a related executive order (EO) and the passport changes argues that the EO is \"transparently unlawful and unconstitutional.\"  \nEOIR Issues 'Core Policy Values' Memo – The memo states that more guidance on the values of its \"core mission\" of \"integrity, impartiality, and the decisional independence of its adjudicators\" will be forthcoming and includes various admonishments against how the EOIR was managed before the current administration.  \nEOIR Rescinds 2021 Memo, Resetting Default Filing Deadline in NonDetained Cases to 30 Days Before Calendar Hearing – The Executive Office for Immigration Review rescinded a 2021 memorandum that set a default filing  \nPage: 1  \nImmigration Update-February 18, 2025  \n[https://cyrusmehta.com/blog/2025/02/18/immigration-update-february-18-2025/](https://cyrusmehta.com/blog/2025/02/18/immigration-update-february-18-2025/)  \ndeadline in non-detained cases of 15 days before individual calendar hearings.  \nDetails:  \nMarch Visa Bulletin Announces Retrogression of EB-4 Category, Religious  \nWorkers Expiration  \nThe Department of State's Visa Office has released the Visa Bulletin for March 2025. Among other things, the bulletin announces retrogression of the final action date in the EB-4/SR categories, and warns that it may be necessary to make them \"Unavailable\" in \"the coming months, possibly as soon as April. If the categories become \"Unavailable,\" EB-4/SR visa numbers will be available on October 1, 2025, with the start of fiscal year 2026, the bulletin states.  \nThe bulletin also notes the March 14, 2025, expiration date for the employment fourth preference \"Certain Religious Workers\" (SR) category. \"No SR visas maybe issued overseas, or final action taken on adjustment of status cases, after midnight March 13, 2025. Visas issued prior to that date will be valid only until March 13, 2025, and all individuals seeking admission in the non-minister special immigrant category must be admitted (repeat, admitted) into the United States no later than midnight March 13, 2025,\" the bulletin states.  \nThe bulletin also lists, among other things, the diversity visa category rank cutoffs that will apply in March and April.  \nBack to Top  \nOFLC Announces Deletion of Older Records in FLAG System  \nOn February 14, 2025, the Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) announced that records more than five years old will be deleted from the Foreign Labor Access Gateway (FLAG) System beginning on March 20, 2025.  \nOFLC explained that deletions of eligible case records will be based on the final determination date recorded in the FLAG System for each case. For example, cases with a final determination date of March 21, 2020, will be deleted on March 21, 2025. OFLC advises stakeholders to download before the deadline any record","cbCaijTAvCnt2nf5","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijTAvCnt2nf5","pdf",94993,7,"English","# Headlines\n## March Visa Bulletin\n## OFLC FLAG System Deletion\n## I-9 Reverification for Venezuelan TPS\n## Passport Application Changes and Lawsuit\n## EOIR Core Policy Values Memo\n## EOIR Rescinds 2021 Memo","[{\"question\":\"What did the March 2025 Visa Bulletin announce about EB-4 and SR categories?\",\"answer\":\"It announced retrogression of the final action date for EB-4/SR categories and warned they may become “Unavailable,” affecting visa availability starting October 1, 2025 and fiscal year 2026. It also set an SR expiration date of March 14, 2025.\"},{\"question\":\"How will older labor certification records be handled in the FLAG system?\",\"answer\":\"Records more than five years old will be deleted from FLAG starting March 20, 2025, based on each case’s final determination date. Stakeholders are advised to download records they want to retain before the deadline.\"},{\"question\":\"What guidance was provided for employers regarding I-9 reverification for Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries?\",\"answer\":\"Employers must reverify 2021 Venezuela TPS beneficiaries with specified EAD category codes and expiration dates before they begin work on March 11, 2025. For 2023 TPS beneficiaries under the described EAD conditions, reverification is required before work begins on April 3, 2025.\"}]","Immigration Update - February 18, 2025 | PDF",1789836715]