NEW YORK—For 500 New York City teachers recruited from the Caribbean 10 years ago, nothing has been permanent. Elected officials from the federal, state, and local level joined the teachers and The Black Institute (TBI) on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to support negotiations with the Department of Education (DOE) to reach a solution for the immigration status of these teachers.
While the goal of permanent residency has not yet been achieved, the Association for International Educators (AIE) has been negotiating with the DOE since last September. Judith Hall, AIE chair, says they have made great strides forward since February.
The DOE made a policy change so that principals of NYC schools no longer have the authority to write a letter determining the teachers’ immigration status, Hall said.
“There is still very much to be done. We’re negotiating, all the time,” Hall said. The teachers have recently been gaining more support from elected officials of all levels. “We’re seeing more people follow the changes and more people come here each time we have a conference. Things are moving.”
Various City councilors voiced their support for the teachers who have continued to work for the City’s children, although many of their own are “aging out” of their parents’ temporary visas.
“Now, it finally seems that the DOE is ready to partner with our efforts to find resolution to this impending crisis. Time is of the essence though, and we cannot rest until the Caribbean teachers and their families are safely on the road to permanent residency,” said Councilman Jumaane Williams.
While the goal of permanent residency has not yet been achieved, the Association for International Educators (AIE) has been negotiating with the DOE since last September. Judith Hall, AIE chair, says they have made great strides forward since February.
The DOE made a policy change so that principals of NYC schools no longer have the authority to write a letter determining the teachers’ immigration status, Hall said.
“There is still very much to be done. We’re negotiating, all the time,” Hall said. The teachers have recently been gaining more support from elected officials of all levels. “We’re seeing more people follow the changes and more people come here each time we have a conference. Things are moving.”
Various City councilors voiced their support for the teachers who have continued to work for the City’s children, although many of their own are “aging out” of their parents’ temporary visas.
“Now, it finally seems that the DOE is ready to partner with our efforts to find resolution to this impending crisis. Time is of the essence though, and we cannot rest until the Caribbean teachers and their families are safely on the road to permanent residency,” said Councilman Jumaane Williams.
The teachers were recruited with the promise of permanent residency and green cards in 2001, and initially issued a J-1 exchange visa. In 2003 they were told to apply for H1-B visas, which is valid for three to six years, and told the process of gaining permanent residency should not take longer than that.
The “Broken Promises” report released by the AIE and TBI shows that some individuals have been sponsored by the DOE for eight or nine years, while their green card applications were pending, before the DOE dropped their petitions stating that the “teacher was always aware of his or her temporary status.”
The threat of deportation has long been an issue, and in 2004, 200 of these recruited teachers were in danger of having to leave the country. They received letters of termination, and if not for Congressman Major Owen’s intervention and address to the DOE, would have been deported.
Sheila James says she has been a teacher since 1987 and decided to take the overseas teaching job in 2001 because of the promise of “a green card, life betterment, the master’s degree, all of that.”
NYC was facing a teacher shortage in 2001 and was trying to phase out 17 percent of the public school teachers, who were uncertified.
“I have one daughter, one son,” James said. “She was on the visa, but after two years they said she was out. We started out on the J-1, she was a J-2, but she aged out. I had to get her a student visa, but we had to be paying international rates for her to study here.”
Because of her status, James says she has to pay international rates for her own master’s degree, as well her son’s university tuition.
“He was given a scholarship because he’s six-feet [tall] and plays basketball, but we weren’t able to take it up because of our status. So I have to pay international rates for him as well, and it’s in Florida so I have to pay for boarding, everything,” James said. James has been teaching at MS45 in Manhattan for ten years, and it wasn’t until four years ago that her husband was able to obtain an I-485 visa that allowed him to find work as well.
“We are committed to identifying and working for practical solutions that will provide permanent residency for our international teachers,” said Commissioner Fatima Shama, of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
The “Broken Promises” report released by the AIE and TBI shows that some individuals have been sponsored by the DOE for eight or nine years, while their green card applications were pending, before the DOE dropped their petitions stating that the “teacher was always aware of his or her temporary status.”
The threat of deportation has long been an issue, and in 2004, 200 of these recruited teachers were in danger of having to leave the country. They received letters of termination, and if not for Congressman Major Owen’s intervention and address to the DOE, would have been deported.
Sheila James says she has been a teacher since 1987 and decided to take the overseas teaching job in 2001 because of the promise of “a green card, life betterment, the master’s degree, all of that.”
NYC was facing a teacher shortage in 2001 and was trying to phase out 17 percent of the public school teachers, who were uncertified.
“I have one daughter, one son,” James said. “She was on the visa, but after two years they said she was out. We started out on the J-1, she was a J-2, but she aged out. I had to get her a student visa, but we had to be paying international rates for her to study here.”
Because of her status, James says she has to pay international rates for her own master’s degree, as well her son’s university tuition.
“He was given a scholarship because he’s six-feet [tall] and plays basketball, but we weren’t able to take it up because of our status. So I have to pay international rates for him as well, and it’s in Florida so I have to pay for boarding, everything,” James said. James has been teaching at MS45 in Manhattan for ten years, and it wasn’t until four years ago that her husband was able to obtain an I-485 visa that allowed him to find work as well.
“We are committed to identifying and working for practical solutions that will provide permanent residency for our international teachers,” said Commissioner Fatima Shama, of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
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