My third application for residency has been delayed at length in the Boston consulate. The first two times, I went to DR and got caught up in red tape and returned to USA empty-handed.
Then I wrote a letter to every member of the national congress to complain and I suspect this may have gotten a result. Maybe they figured it's better to make sure the applicant will get permanent residence, before issuing the RS visa. This instead of assuring the applicant that a state-level background check is good enough when in fact a FBI check is required once you arrive in DR and apply. My letter emphasized the importance of the truth, citing John 8:32 because it is the verse displayed on the Dominican flag, I noted, citing the Dominican constitution.
Take a survey of people on the street and a majority don't know that the Bible on the Dominican flag is open to John 8:32 and perhaps even some members of the congress didn't know, so I suspect maybe I impressed them, but all of this is pure speculation.
In any case, if they do more paperwork at the consular level maybe they are doing so for a good reason, namely, to prevent somebody from getting to DR and leaving empty-handed. The latest hassle was requiring a Dominican marriage certificate which meant sending a USA marriage certificate (with apostille, of course!) via Fedex and getting it registered in Santiago and getting the Dominican certificate to bring to Boston. FWIW they let me drop off paperwork in a large vanilla envelope at the a branch of the Boston consulate; and some readers might want to check if they can reduce their travel costs by visiting a closer branch of a consulate. The consulate in Boston has branches in Providence RI and Lawrence MA.
Then I wrote a letter to every member of the national congress to complain and I suspect this may have gotten a result. Maybe they figured it's better to make sure the applicant will get permanent residence, before issuing the RS visa. This instead of assuring the applicant that a state-level background check is good enough when in fact a FBI check is required once you arrive in DR and apply. My letter emphasized the importance of the truth, citing John 8:32 because it is the verse displayed on the Dominican flag, I noted, citing the Dominican constitution.
Take a survey of people on the street and a majority don't know that the Bible on the Dominican flag is open to John 8:32 and perhaps even some members of the congress didn't know, so I suspect maybe I impressed them, but all of this is pure speculation.
In any case, if they do more paperwork at the consular level maybe they are doing so for a good reason, namely, to prevent somebody from getting to DR and leaving empty-handed. The latest hassle was requiring a Dominican marriage certificate which meant sending a USA marriage certificate (with apostille, of course!) via Fedex and getting it registered in Santiago and getting the Dominican certificate to bring to Boston. FWIW they let me drop off paperwork in a large vanilla envelope at the a branch of the Boston consulate; and some readers might want to check if they can reduce their travel costs by visiting a closer branch of a consulate. The consulate in Boston has branches in Providence RI and Lawrence MA.
