Need lawyer: passport and visa application for Dominican citizen

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chrysalis

Guest
Hi, first time posting. I'm not looking for advice, as I've done quite a bit of reading on these forums over the last few months.

Looking for a lawyer based in the capital to help my partner (Dominican citizen) apply for a passport and a B1 tourist visa for the US. I am a natural-born US citizen living in California going through a divorce and eventually plan on emigrating to the DR. But until I get through that whole thing I asked if he would like to take a vacation in the US with me so he gets a chance to join me on my travels.

I've read the threads about how a lawyer is pointless now that the application is all online. But I am a software engineer who grew up in SE Asia and has done extensive travelling. He, on the other hand, is not very tech-savvy, even when I provide him with screenshots and specific instructions, and has never travelled outside the country. I know how daunting it can be to have to get all these documents together and jump through bureaucratic hoops.

I'm looking for recommendations for a trustworthy lawyer who can help him get everything he needs together and walk through the process. He does not speak English, and the visa application form must be filled out in English. Timing is tight, as our vacation times sync up in August, and it's already almost May. I have urged him to get his passport ASAP since he needs it before applying for the visa, but he's a bit lost in the process, and he works 2 jobs so does not have that much free time. Even if we cannot get the visa in time for this trip, it would help future travel.

I would be paying for this trip and can provide a notorised statement and proof of income if it will help prove he's not looking to overstay his visa.
 
W

windeguy

Guest
Your notorized statement is useless in such matters. It will actually be a negative. You cannot sponsor him as some other countries allow. If he mentions he wants to see his girlfriend in the US, and you are paying for the trip, his chances are greatly diminished.

He has to prove at the interview that he will return to the DR by having the required connections to the DR. Having a good job, a house, a car, family, long term money in the bank etc. are what make the difference in getting approved.

I do understand the need in this case to get a lawyer to help. The lawyer will know that the burden of proof is on him to prove he will return to the DR, not you. That said, it is a bit easier now for Dominicans to get visitor's visas.
 
P

PICHARDO

Guest
chrysalis said:
Hi, first time posting. I'm not looking for advice, as I've done quite a bit of reading on these forums over the last few months.

Looking for a lawyer based in the capital to help my partner (Dominican citizen) apply for a passport and a B1 tourist visa for the US. I am a natural-born US citizen living in California going through a divorce and eventually plan on emigrating to the DR. But until I get through that whole thing I asked if he would like to take a vacation in the US with me so he gets a chance to join me on my travels.

I've read the threads about how a lawyer is pointless now that the application is all online. But I am a software engineer who grew up in SE Asia and has done extensive travelling. He, on the other hand, is not very tech-savvy, even when I provide him with screenshots and specific instructions, and has never travelled outside the country. I know how daunting it can be to have to get all these documents together and jump through bureaucratic hoops.

I'm looking for recommendations for a trustworthy lawyer who can help him get everything he needs together and walk through the process. He does not speak English, and the visa application form must be filled out in English. Timing is tight, as our vacation times sync up in August, and it's already almost May. I have urged him to get his passport ASAP since he needs it before applying for the visa, but he's a bit lost in the process, and he works 2 jobs so does not have that much free time. Even if we cannot get the visa in time for this trip, it would help future travel.

I would be paying for this trip and can provide a notorised statement and proof of income if it will help prove he's not looking to overstay his visa.
Click to expand...

There's no point in getting a lawyer for a tourist visa application for a DR citizen...

What he needs is somebody to assist him in procuring his DR passport and later the proper documents which will be required to produce when he applies for a tourist visa at the US consulate (now in the Embassy compound at SD).

His odds of obtaining a tourist visa are based mostly on the strength of his roots in the DR.

That's to say:

A long standing continuous job, with a middle class wage.
Ownership of his home (if any) or property.
Own a car, or have a car loan with payments.
Bank account in good standing and funds (give or take they want to see life savings there).
Clean police record.
A verifiable social media account or the like.
Relatives in the country, the more the better.
Previous travel to a developed country is a major plus on his passport (Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, etc...)
Good health.

Getting a DR passport is as easy as visiting the local passport office and producing the right documents with a fee. The passport will be ready in no time.

There are no hoops to getting a DR passport at all. Very easy and stress-free.

Even the staff at the passport office will assist him in order to obtain it, all he got to do is visit the office and ask for instructions prior to applying.

The visa process is equally streamlined now, since it all goes via online with them.


For the passport he can start here:
http://www.pasaportes.gob.do/

First time passport here:
https://www.pasaportes.gob.do/index...porte-para-adultos-dominicanos-por-nacimiento


For the US Visa here:
http://www.ustraveldocs.com/do_es/index.html
 
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chrysalis

Guest
PICHARDO said:
There's no point in getting a lawyer for a tourist visa application for a DR citizen...

What he needs is somebody to assist him in procuring his DR passport and later the proper documents which will be required to produce when he applies for a tourist visa at the US consulate (now in the Embassy compound at SD).
Click to expand...

Assisting through obtaining the proper documents and through the online applicaion process (since he does not speak English and is not very tech-savvy) is what we're looking for help with.
 
P

playacaribe2

Guest
chrysalis said:
Assisting through obtaining the proper documents and through the online applicaion process (since he does not speak English and is not very tech-savvy) is what we're looking for help with.
Click to expand...

So to strictly answer your question, there are at least two services that advertise here on DR1. Do a search and call one of them.

Guzman Ariza or Abreu Associates.

Good luck.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
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PICHARDO

Guest
chrysalis said:
Assisting through obtaining the proper documents and through the online applicaion process (since he does not speak English and is not very tech-savvy) is what we're looking for help with.
Click to expand...

It's also in Spanish.
You can do this for him yourself from your home PC...

Like I said, for the DR passport right at their offices he can get it with their assistance.

For the US visa, you can do 99% of the needed stuff to fill the application for him from your PC.
Are you saying this man has no family or friends or co-workers or anything that can help him at all with these tasks?

It just doesn't make sense...

See the above post for a reference you have to pay for assistance. That should give you a solution 100%.
 
J

JDJones

Guest
chrysalis said:
Assisting through obtaining the proper documents and through the online applicaion process (since he does not speak English and is not very tech-savvy) is what we're looking for help with.
Click to expand...

Can you tell him in Spanish what to do while he's looking at the website?
 
C

cavok

Guest
As previously mentioned, you can fill out the application for him. There are no documents required on the DS-160 form - just a lot of info. He may needto bring some documents to the interview.

A lawyer is of no use at all on a tourist visa application and you can't sponsor him. He has to prove "stong ties" to the DR that give him a reason to return. Without that, his chances are about as close to zero as you can get.
 
J

JDJones

Guest
cavok said:
As previously mentioned, you can fill out the application for him. There are no documents required on the DS-160 form - just a lot of info. He may needto bring some documents to the interview.

A lawyer is of no use at all on a tourist visa application and you can't sponsor him. He has to prove "stong ties" to the DR that give him a reason to return. Without that, his chances are about as close to zero as you can get.
Click to expand...

I don't think we're giving her the answers she wants us to give her.
 
T

TropicalPaul

Guest
I would suggest that you get a US law firm that has an office in Santo Domingo as they are going to be far better at understanding US immigration requirements than a Dominican law firm. As has been said, the key thing is to compile sufficient evidence that he is going to return to Dom Rep as this is the hardest hurdle to jump.

Secondly, be aware that if your partner is refused a visa the first time, the second and subsequent applications become far less likely to succeed. Where someone has been refused, subsequent applications are handled in a different way and it becomes increasingly hard to get approval.
 
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Derfish

Guest
It seems like there are a lot of Dominicans in Boston. Their chance of getting there were a lot more than zero. If it can be exptrapolated form those I have met most arrove as tourists.
 
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cavok

Guest
Plenty of Dominicans get approved for tourist visas. Believe it or not, there are actually Dominicans that have jobs, houses, cars, and/or money in the bank to prove they have strong ties that give them a reason to return. A relatively high number of Dominicans do overstay their visas.
 
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