More than 73 Caribbean teachers in New York who were facing deportation on Monday have been granted a temporary reprieve. In June, the teachers were among 200 issued with termination letters by the New York City Board of Education ending their employment contracts because they were late in applying for the H-1B visas that would have allowed to them to continue working in the US. The teachers - mainly from Jamaica and Guyana - were recruited in 2001 and took up their employment in New York City on J-1 visas which would be valid for three years. But last year the United States Immigration Service (USIS) changed its policy, and the teachers were required instead to apply for the more limited H-1B visa. Last minute attempts to get the US State Department to give the teachers extra time has paid off for some teachers as 45 teachers were granted visas on the weekend. Threat More are expected to receive visas by the end of this week but the threat of deportation still hangs over the rest because they are missing key documents from their files. One Jamaican teacher who spoke to BBC Caribbean Radio on the condition of anonymity said she is confident the issue will be resolved. "I think eventually everything is going to be worked out," she said. "Right now we're going through a very rough time but we feel we're going to get through all of this." However, Jamaican born immigration advocate Owen Clare called the issuing of the visas by the State Department a 'half measure', and told BBC Caribbean Radio the teachers should be given permanent residence or 'green cards' instead. "The decision must be taken now by the Department of Education and the powers that be, to initiate getting green cards for these teachers," he said. "We have had seven congressmen who have signed off on a letter saying that the teachers are valuable to the fabric of the educational system state in New York." Mr Clare said he believed this strong appeal to the State Department should be enough for them to consider giving the teachers residency in the United States. SOURCE: BBCCARIBBEAN.COM