immigration to dr

M

milan

Guest
If someone knows anything about legal issues about immigration to
Dominican Republic, and would like to share those info please conntact me on mmsst53@imap.pitt.edu
Thank you in advance,
Milan
 
C

CES

Guest
Re: immigration. . .or why do it

This isn't direct answer to your question, although I think it addresses the subject. . .

Regards,

. . . CES

~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Copy & Paste from "The Bravenet Forum":

Name: John Schroder

Subject: Re: Re: American Expats?

Article:

Eric,

I have to admit that I do not reply or read this message board often, but a reader of our newsletters suggested I "put my two cents in", so here it goes:

First and foremost, the US does recognize dual citizenship. It is also the most expensive passport in the world to own, not because of it's value as a visa free travel document - but because the US government is one of the very few governments in the world that seeks to tax it's citizens on their world-wide income. As a US citizen, you are "obligated" to pay income tax on your interest, earnings (we are leaving the exemption of $70 something thousand for employment income earned outside the US out of this for now), capital gains and dividends - regardless of where you are living, and regardless of where you generated your income (interest). For this reason, many people do feel that, considering all of the taxes they pay and what they obtain in return, the US passport is not the most attractive to own. Why do you think the manager of some of the Templeton funds gave up his US passport for a German passport, and lives in Thailand? He was interview by the 60 minutes news program a while back, and he is living happily ever after (tax free).

As an example of getting what you pay for, try to get some help from the American Embassy when you need it. You think the service from Codetel is bad?.....You have not seen anything (pray you never need to). So what exactly are you paying for anyway?

There is much discussion about this and debate on both sides. As pointed out from ECH, this person would not give up their US passport for anything. That's fine and his choice to make. But,
considering you can easily obtain an H1 multi-entry visa from the US embassy for a number of other passports (Grenada is one that comes to mind, Canada is another, Panama is yet another), travel to the US is not a reason to hold onto a US passport (unless it is important enough to pay US income tax to Uncle Sam the rest of your life for it).

Again, this argument about should one "give up" their US passport can be a "touchy" subject depending upon whom you speak with. Some feel that it is "un-patriotic", while others (like yourself) feel that the US is not the country is was many years ago (or perhaps should be). As a result, many do in fact leave and do not go back. The point of all this is, you are not alone in this thinking, nor are you crazy for thinking it. Many people in the US are just fed up, and they are voting their mind with their feet. The US is losing quite a number of good citizens. They are
"immigrating" to places where they do not get taxed to death, where the cost of living is lower, and where the legal system makes sense. After all, this is what someone in your family probably did 100 years ago (or more) when they left their home country to "seek something better" in "America". As Roger Gallo of the Escape Artist Website has said, "The US is losing the best and the brighest". What Roger really means is, the type of person that is an independent thinker & the type of person that can take care of himself (or herself) are the type of people leaving (and doing very well). The type of people that want the government to tell them what to do, and do not mind giving up their freedom (and their money) are the type of people that stay. Quite frankly, you have to respect that, but in turn they should respect your own opinions and choices as well. In reality, that is what freedom and free speech is all about. The right to make up your own mind about what is best for you, and your right to voice your opinion. Only a hypocrite, or someone that says they believe in "freedom" but in fact does not, would be the person to critique your opinion. Do they know in their heart that you are right, but are afraid to say it? Do they know anything at all? Why do they feel so "threatened" by such a discussion? It seems to me that it is OK for other people to want to leave their own country and go to the US (after all, we know that life is easier in the US - right?), but it is not OK for someone to say, "There must be something better than this".

Many Dominicans do not understand why all the "gringos" want to come here, when in fact they want to go to the US. Want to trade places? Most of the "gringos" coming here bring previous business or technical skills, money for investment, and an independent spirit. Many of the people the US are getting as immigrants are the unemployed, the unskilled, or those that could not make it in their own country for whatever reason. That's fine and this is not to discourage anyone from trying to find something better. However, it is very interesting to note that the upper middle class or very wealthy have no interest in a US passport or US citizenship at all. This is true for other Latin American countries and Europeans as well. Get a US passport so they can now pay more income taxes, instead of less? Perhaps this is why the US is so scared. People with some money and common sense are all leaving. Who is replacing them? Not the well to do or proven businessmen, but the unemployed and unskilled. This is a rash generalization, but it is true of the overall average.

Regarding this idea of the Dominican passport as an "alternative" to the US passport strickly from the view of visa free travel, I would agree with some of the other comments. It can never hurt to
have dual citizenship and the Dominican Republic does recognize dual citizenship also, but there are other passports I would suggest you obtain before you send your US passport back with a note and a jar or vaseline (one of our clients did do this).

Considering that a number of other countries do offer a passport with extensive visa free travel capabilities, and considering that they do not tax their citizens for income or interest earned outside that particular "home" country, there are much better passports to own (other than a US passport).

Do not get me wrong, I do not "hate" the US nor the US government. I was born and raised in the US. If you had talked to me 15 years ago, I probably would have said the same things as the other gentlemen that posted his comments (born a US citizen, die a US citizen. etc). However, my thinking has changed. My view of the world has changed because my eyes are now open, and not blinded as they were before. It is correct to say that I simply dislike what the US has become or many things about it. I also dislike US arrogance and the thinking that it is the best country on earth. It is not, believe me. No country is perfect, no place is perfect. But, there are places where people cannot sue you because they slipped in front of your house (the courts will not hear such cases). There are places where the local government does not attmept to dictate your daily life. There are places where the government does not have their hand in your pocket every five minutes (granted, they often do not have the same social programs either , but that's fair - you as a middle class person are eligable for half the programs you are paying for now anyway).

It is not easy to perhaps live in another country or make a drastic change, but it is a very big world out there. Read, investigate, learn, and make up your own mind what is best for you.

Oh, by the way, it is not such a good idea to tell the US government you wish to "formally" expatriate, because there is a fairly new "expatriation tax" that the US congress approved. You
see, it is a free country (so they say), but you must give the US government 50% of everything you own should you wish to leave. That is, should you wish to tell them up front and formally that
you want to renounce your citizenship. Also, it seems the IRS thinks they have the right to tax you for up to 20 years after you "renounce" or "expatriate" if they think you are doing it for tax reasons........Thought you might like to know.

John Schroder

Ascot Advisory Services

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Email: info@ascotadvisory.com

<A HREF="http://www.ascotadvisory.com">http://www.ascotadvisory.com</A>
Date: 05/8/00 09:08:22 PM
 
I

incognito

Guest
Re: immigration. . .or why do it

WAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jhon I am not a us citizen,either I do not understand all of you coments,
since I would have to be raise in the us to understand it all,

but still I got the main point

and find it from you very educative and coherente
I wan to congratulate you

and pray god that the future us/european
imigrantes that come to live in my country
would behave with such of neutral,coherente,educative ,well balanced imformation

if the peoplle whos are making coments about my counrty will have this line of constructive critics
I am sure ther will be more Dominicans whos would prefere to stay ,study,work in this country then go to imigrate in the usa ore europe
and sure that the foreigner that are living here
would be more objectiv diplomatic by the time that they start comenting in a way ore more about my country

peoplle whos have been reading this board in the last months
I am sure you know exactlly about whos I am tallking about
that goes for the hispaniola.com
as well