Some Notes from a Lunch with a DGM Bureaucrat

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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While renewing my residency in StoDgo on Friday, a man approached my lawyer and had a warm hug and chat that ended up as lunch at Adrian Tropical.

Turns out he's a high-ranking DGM bureaucrat, not a top guy or decision maker, but clearly in a position of knowing what's what and implementing policy.

I didn't ask many questions, the warm convo was more between him and his friend, my lawyer.

But I did glean a couple of points I thought I'd pass along. Granted these are not "official", but worthy of consideration.

1) It's doubtful there will be many changes in the "pay a fine upon exit" soft policy if you don't run into other DGM problems. If you DO, all bets are off. I specifically asked about required residency for my 89 y.o. mom who travels back and forth and overstays.

2) DGM is currently concerned with a large influx of Haitians (who never left) and Venezuelans, many of which have "pop-up" survival businesses or are sex workers. "Normal" tourists are not on the radar screen. "Europeans" also seem to be a concern, don't know if that meant West or East, or why they are a concern.

3) Prostitution by foreigners is a concern, both hookers and johns. They do not like it, nor do the higher Executive branches.

4) While DGM "street sweeps" won't be like the arbitrary one on the North Coast, targeted sweeps will occur. Don't be surprised, based on #3 above, if "sweeps" are at locations known to cater to that crowd, or where Haitians and Venezuelans congregate.

5) An interview in Spanish may no longer be necessary for citizenship on a case-by-case basis.

As I said, an interesting fly-on-the-wall conversation.

Don't shoot the messenger.

On another note: it's been over a year, but the DGM office seems to have undergone a facelift and added new technology, especially in the inner sanctum. Has anyone else noticed the same?
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Hmmmm, doing away with the Spanish for citizenship?
Interesting.....

Fluffy questions anyway. Many Dominicans have trouble, they tell me 
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Sure, business owner/employer, house/property owners, anyone with a significant stake in the country.

I can understand that.
Perhaps a bit of Spanish conversation at the start to verify an understanding of the language.
 

harry myrtle beach

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Sep 16, 2015
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Doing away with the Spanish interview has been policy for a while now. Having said that I don't know of anyone not passing. I am not any way fluent in Spanish and when taking the interview when stuck on a question the interviewer would give me hints till I got it.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Not one surprise in any of CB's 5 points.
 The government does not like the prostitution business and has to deal with both haitans and venezualin illegal immigrants. I would have liked to ask the question if the recent gringo roundup was done to show the world that it is not just haitans that are to be targeted.
 

arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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I guess the interest factor is the Dominican bureaucrat speaking the words. All the information is widely known and accepted. I was looking for something new but it is not here. Least surprising of all is the Haitian antipathy. Venezuelans have increased significantly in number in the past couple of years but they are by no means a new group in the country. Many more of them are economic refugees than during the Chavez era when wealthier Venezuelans came for business investment and banking reasons.

Conspicuous in its absence from the conversation as described is any mention of narco trafficking. It is a great source of income for certain government officials. Does that make it more likeable than showgirls and starving families with street corner cachapa stands?

Not one surprise in any of CB's 5 points.
 The government does not like the prostitution business and has to deal with both haitans and venezualin illegal immigrants. I would have liked to ask the question if the recent gringo roundup was done to show the world that it is not just haitans that are to be targeted.
 

carlos

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 29, 2002
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While renewing my residency in StoDgo on Friday, a man approached my lawyer and had a warm hug and chat that ended up as lunch at Adrian Tropical.

Turns out he's a high-ranking DGM bureaucrat, not a top guy or decision maker, but clearly in a position of knowing what's what and implementing policy.

I didn't ask many questions, the warm convo was more between him and his friend, my lawyer.

But I did glean a couple of points I thought I'd pass along. Granted these are not "official", but worthy of consideration.

1) It's doubtful there will be many changes in the "pay a fine upon exit" soft policy if you don't run into other DGM problems. If you DO, all bets are off. I specifically asked about required residency for my 89 y.o. mom who travels back and forth and overstays.

2) DGM is currently concerned with a large influx of Haitians (who never left) and Venezuelans, many of which have "pop-up" survival businesses or are sex workers. "Normal" tourists are not on the radar screen. "Europeans" also seem to be a concern, don't know if that meant West or East, or why they are a concern.

3) Prostitution by foreigners is a concern, both hookers and johns. They do not like it, nor do the higher Executive branches.

4) While DGM "street sweeps" won't be like the arbitrary one on the North Coast, targeted sweeps will occur. Don't be surprised, based on #3 above, if "sweeps" are at locations known to cater to that crowd, or where Haitians and Venezuelans congregate.

5) An interview in Spanish may no longer be necessary for citizenship on a case-by-case basis.

As I said, an interesting fly-on-the-wall conversation.

Don't shoot the messenger.

On another note: it's been over a year, but the DGM office seems to have undergone a facelift and added new technology, especially in the inner sanctum. Has anyone else noticed the same?

thanks for sharing.... makes sense.

Use immigration as an example, the government continues to be worried about Haitians but now have the Venezuelans to deal with. Does not help when the Venezuelans show a better work ethic and are not as "tanned" as the Haitians.
 

drstock

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Oct 29, 2010
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Cobraboy, when you renewed your Residency on Friday, did they have plastic to give you the cards? When I went earlier in the week they didn't.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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elizabetheames.blogspot.com
One of my friends who lives in Barrio Don Bosco - over by Centro Bono says that the Venezuelans have taken over many of the businesses - the street hawker type ones - that were run by Haitians. She was really shocked, she said, because these are "blanquitos"..!!!

60minutes.. I think it was.. just did a special about the rousing business in fake Venezuelan passports that are being sold -- all over .. so perhaps there is drug trafficking issue involved for Interpol?.. know nothing .. am not there.. just adding the bit about the passports..
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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dr1.com
don't go all thinking that CB is a
"voice of reason" just because you are out there together on the feathered right wing together..

not saying that he can not be a reasonable man.. but "voice of reason" might be stretching it ..

jus sayin

Depends on your perspective. CB is a person of logic and reasoning, therefore he is a reasonable man.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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cobraboy said:
"Europeans" also seem to be a concern, don't know if that meant West or East, or why they are a concern.
*Cough* Mafiosi and escaping criminals *cough*
 

oldschool

Active member
Oct 9, 2004
536
22
38
While renewing my residency in StoDgo on Friday, a man approached my lawyer and had a warm hug and chat that ended up as lunch at Adrian Tropical.

Turns out he's a high-ranking DGM bureaucrat, not a top guy or decision maker, but clearly in a position of knowing what's what and implementing policy.

I didn't ask many questions, the warm convo was more between him and his friend, my lawyer.

But I did glean a couple of points I thought I'd pass along. Granted these are not "official", but worthy of consideration.

1) It's doubtful there will be many changes in the "pay a fine upon exit" soft policy if you don't run into other DGM problems. If you DO, all bets are off. I specifically asked about required residency for my 89 y.o. mom who travels back and forth and overstays.

2) DGM is currently concerned with a large influx of Haitians (who never left) and Venezuelans, many of which have "pop-up" survival businesses or are sex workers. "Normal" tourists are not on the radar screen. "Europeans" also seem to be a concern, don't know if that meant West or East, or why they are a concern.

3) Prostitution by foreigners is a concern, both hookers and johns. They do not like it, nor do the higher Executive branches.

4) While DGM "street sweeps" won't be like the arbitrary one on the North Coast, targeted sweeps will occur. Don't be surprised, based on #3 above, if "sweeps" are at locations known to cater to that crowd, or where Haitians and Venezuelans congregate.

5) An interview in Spanish may no longer be necessary for citizenship on a case-by-case basis.

As I said, an interesting fly-on-the-wall conversation.

Don't shoot the messenger.

On another note: it's been over a year, but the DGM office seems to have undergone a facelift and added new technology, especially in the inner sanctum. Has anyone else noticed the same?




While I don't discredit any of the information you have provided all the info this DGM employee shared with you and you lawyer will have a high percentage of being compleatly different in a few months or maybe sooner......as bureaucracy has many bellys to feed....
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
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Cobraboy, when you renewed your Residency on Friday, did they have plastic to give you the cards? When I went earlier in the week they didn't.
That's why we went: DGM had supplies to produce cards.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
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don't go all thinking that CB is a
"voice of reason" just because you are out there together on the feathered right wing together..

not saying that he can not be a reasonable man.. but "voice of reason" might be stretching it ..

jus sayin
Oh, please.

I am just passing on info. I didn't create the info.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
While renewing my residency in StoDgo on Friday, a man approached my lawyer and had a warm hug and chat that ended up as lunch at Adrian Tropical.

Turns out he's a high-ranking DGM bureaucrat, not a top guy or decision maker, but clearly in a position of knowing what's what and implementing policy.

I didn't ask many questions, the warm convo was more between him and his friend, my lawyer.

But I did glean a couple of points I thought I'd pass along. Granted these are not "official", but worthy of consideration.

1) It's doubtful there will be many changes in the "pay a fine upon exit" soft policy if you don't run into other DGM problems. If you DO, all bets are off. I specifically asked about required residency for my 89 y.o. mom who travels back and forth and overstays.

2) DGM is currently concerned with a large influx of Haitians (who never left) and Venezuelans, many of which have "pop-up" survival businesses or are sex workers. "Normal" tourists are not on the radar screen. "Europeans" also seem to be a concern, don't know if that meant West or East, or why they are a concern.

3) Prostitution by foreigners is a concern, both hookers and johns. They do not like it, nor do the higher Executive branches.

4) While DGM "street sweeps" won't be like the arbitrary one on the North Coast, targeted sweeps will occur. Don't be surprised, based on #3 above, if "sweeps" are at locations known to cater to that crowd, or where Haitians and Venezuelans congregate.

5) An interview in Spanish may no longer be necessary for citizenship on a case-by-case basis.

As I said, an interesting fly-on-the-wall conversation.

Don't shoot the messenger.

On another note: it's been over a year, but the DGM office seems to have undergone a facelift and added new technology, especially in the inner sanctum. Has anyone else noticed the same?

Interesting, but tell me something I don't know. Many immigrants coming from Haiti or Venezuela don't have the proper documentation and the money necessary to achieve residency. This "catch 22" will go round and round per usual.