Ok so this is pretty complicated. I was a Peace Corps volunteer up until this Oct 2014 when I finished my service I left back to the US. I had residency through this and my green card hadn't expired yet, but when I left I had to give the card back to the migration services. I just got a job back in the DR and have a contract for 3 yrs so I need to get residency again. I was wondering if it would be possible to use my previous residency to get the residency again or do I need to start the process all over again. The other thing is for peace corps you get another passport so my visa was through my peace corps passport and I have my other personal passport in which I will be using from here on. I know it's complicated but hopefully someone knows the answer.
- Thread starter krebstar2000
- Start date
Had residency in DR any way to get it back
Doesn't sound like you had a Dominican residency at all.
If you was assigned there with the Peace Corps, you was there on US Official business. You was given a "No-Fee" US Official Passport and they took care of obtaining a visa, NOT a residency, for you. These travel documents are NOT valid for personal or non US government use. Do not confuse residency with an offical posting. I do understand you resided there, but you was not a resident. Pretty much like military assigned overseas; you get your military orders, official passport, visa. However, they are not residents.
If you was assigned there with the Peace Corps, you was there on US Official business. You was given a "No-Fee" US Official Passport and they took care of obtaining a visa, NOT a residency, for you. These travel documents are NOT valid for personal or non US government use. Do not confuse residency with an offical posting. I do understand you resided there, but you was not a resident. Pretty much like military assigned overseas; you get your military orders, official passport, visa. However, they are not residents.
Touch base with your new employer and see if they will sponsor you for a work visa. If not, and you have no ongoing pension income qualifying you for residency, your stay here will not be "legal" beyond the first 30 days on a tourist visa. Official residency for foreigners precludes you coming here to work.
Doesn't the company need to be registered by the DR gov't for that. Pretty sure they are not registered NGO in the DR since it is super hard to get. So basically I'll have to live there illegally. Other than the fine at the airport are there any other negatives for that.
The big one is your driver's license isn't valid after 90 days. And you can't work legally without residency/cedula.
The driver's license issue is a hassle if you plan to drive and get involved in a "grill drill". But probably not getting paid would be a more pressing concern. Maybe your employer is ok with paying you off the books, but I think there is a big fine and a whack of sanctions if they get caught. If such nastiness transpired, you might find yourself on a plane back home with a note from the teacher in your passport not to come back.
There have been a couple of high profile deportations recently and maybe the authorities might take a slightly stronger approach if you are taking a job from a Dominican rather than just spending your dollars here flying under the radar. Or not. This is one place I can truly say that I have no idea what will happen given the same set of circumstances from day to day.
There have been a couple of high profile deportations recently and maybe the authorities might take a slightly stronger approach if you are taking a job from a Dominican rather than just spending your dollars here flying under the radar. Or not. This is one place I can truly say that I have no idea what will happen given the same set of circumstances from day to day.
I agree that you never had residency at all, did you ever get a cedula? because that comes way before residency , you had some sort of work permit
Yeah I had a cedula might have fallen under a different catagory because it was Peace Corps and they are government. It had to be renewed every 6 months but a person from our office would just take the old one and get us a new one. Life was much easier when the US gov'ts your boss.
The Immigration Department handles the Peace Corps volunteers as non residents and grants a “permiso de reentrada” instead of a residency card. This permiso de reentrada is usually valid for 6 months. Although the Immigration Department has a file for you, you must complete your residency application from the beginning including your visa application. Depending on how long you stayed in the country as a volunteer, you could be waived from obtaining an FBI background check. Because you have a job offer for 3 years, you can qualify for a temporary residency permit for work purposes and instead of a residency visa you will get a NM1 (multiple entry business visa for work purposes). The employer must register the work offer and obtain an authorization from the Ministry of Labor to hire you. Once you have these documents, you must apply for a visa at the closest Dominican Consulate.