I get all the “get off the residencea merry go round” and the “overstay” stuff. I get it! To attempt residencea today is DAUNTING and expensive! In fact I suggest to newcomers to not mess with it! It’s way cheaper to overstay. That said, I received my first residencea 15 years ago. You could apply inside the country and after ONE year, you received your first PERM. (Today its 5 years of temp before your first PERM). Most of the financial requirements and all the other BS was not required. We had just purchased our “home on the ocean”, (I had money back then), and I figured “while in Rome…….”. Personally I think that the DR Government should just GIVE us FREE residencea, if we own property at least. It’s a huge “money grab” fo sho! For those of us here full time, we contribute more to the economy than tourists do right? Anyway, if I can get off the “umbrella drinks” I’ll go for citizenship. They have made that pretty easy now. I could go on……but I better stop here! Cheers!!!