NewsWhore
06-15-2012, 03:40 PM
Carmen Montas Cedeno and Patricia de la Rosa Fernandez, president and vice president of the Association of Specialist Immigration Lawyers asked the authorities yesterday to approve and implement a proposed plan to facilitate residency permit procedures for foreigners, as reported in El Dia.
The lawyers seek exceptions for their present clients to the new system in place requires that immigrants obtain clearance or a special visa from the Dominican consulate in their own country before regularizing their immigration status here. But at present those who had entered the country under the old system are now in judicial limbo, because they cannot obtain residence permits as they now need the special visa. The visa requirement had been abolished ten years ago. The new ruling for the Migration Law has reintroduced the requirement.
Montas Cedeno said that the problem is that the visas cannot be obtained here and can only be issued by Dominican consulates aboard. This means that the foreigner now has to leave the country to obtain the document in order to regularize status.
They explained that according to the new rules, the foreigner who enters the DR on a tourist visa and who wants a residency visa has to return to the home country and go to the Dominican consulate there. There the consul would tell them what they have to do and if they qualify for residency. Once the required paperwork is filed, then they can re-enter the country and apply for residency at the Department of Migration.
They said that this applies to all immigrants with the exception of the Haitians who are under a special regime.
The spokespersons for the immigration lawyer association said that as of 1 June the Department of Migration will not accept applications without the special visa.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
The lawyers seek exceptions for their present clients to the new system in place requires that immigrants obtain clearance or a special visa from the Dominican consulate in their own country before regularizing their immigration status here. But at present those who had entered the country under the old system are now in judicial limbo, because they cannot obtain residence permits as they now need the special visa. The visa requirement had been abolished ten years ago. The new ruling for the Migration Law has reintroduced the requirement.
Montas Cedeno said that the problem is that the visas cannot be obtained here and can only be issued by Dominican consulates aboard. This means that the foreigner now has to leave the country to obtain the document in order to regularize status.
They explained that according to the new rules, the foreigner who enters the DR on a tourist visa and who wants a residency visa has to return to the home country and go to the Dominican consulate there. There the consul would tell them what they have to do and if they qualify for residency. Once the required paperwork is filed, then they can re-enter the country and apply for residency at the Department of Migration.
They said that this applies to all immigrants with the exception of the Haitians who are under a special regime.
The spokespersons for the immigration lawyer association said that as of 1 June the Department of Migration will not accept applications without the special visa.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)