- Thread starter johne
- Start date
What does a citizen of Haiti need to be "legal" in the DR
So right now, we are trying to get my kid's visa renewed. It lasts for a year and it costs $20/month to keep current. It's a tourist visa only and does not allow him to work.
The visa originally cost $650 and we expect it to be ready this week, at least we hope it is.
Then, he needs a work permit. We expect that to cost $200 and I'm not sure how long it will take. But it can't start until he is legal.
Also, simultaneously we're trying to get him a US visa thru the new govt program with the USCIS-134A. That so far has cost nothing.
I will try to keep this thread updated as things happen. But also remember that being Haitian/black, he is subject to some migracion a-hole deporting him even with legal papers. We are really hoping that the USA thing works out first.
Nan-- Thanks as I was hoping you would reply as the person with the facts. Reason why I asked is I have daily conversations with Haitians in and around my "mini-farm". One man who has been here for 12 years has no docs and lives with that. Then there are three ladies that past by everyday about 8:00 am selling empanadas. He gets two and a juice. Two weeks ago there were round up raids near by and long story short I got to talking to her about her status. She says -I have no problem and whips out her passport. There seemed to be a stripe of some sort in it but IDK? I said the passport was more or less useless and (the man) agreed with me. She said he's wrong.I was faced with TWO Haitians who disagreed. Now that I see your post I don't belive the woman as she doesn't have that kind of money. Dressed in rags selling 100p empanadas..
My gardenter is Haitian every 30 days he goes back to get 30 day visa work stamped and even though he is not Dominican and has no cedula 2 yrs ago got a Dominican driver’s license legal…
I'm sorry to say that for those people you mention it will be practically impossible to live here legally. The government puts in as many road-blocks as they can to prevent Haitians becoming legal here.
My gardener paid a lawyer to RENEW his legal carnet and after months of waiting his passport has now expired, so he can't proceed with the process. To renew the passport he would have to go to Haiti to get it done and he does not dare to make that journey as things are at the moment.
My gardener paid a lawyer to RENEW his legal carnet and after months of waiting his passport has now expired, so he can't proceed with the process. To renew the passport he would have to go to Haiti to get it done and he does not dare to make that journey as things are at the moment.
Well - as I understand it - the visa is attached inside the passport - so you would need both. And of course the monthly renewal which is also stamped in the passport.
As you stated - it's certainly not a cake walk
Yes. USD. I actually sent $700 to his older cousing because they don't except DOP. USD only.
Unfortunately no I don't know he is off to Haiti again today as I type..I will ask when he gets back in few days..
All the information that I have ever seen has stated that Haitians need a visa to enter the DR , a tourist or student or work visa etc. However , some years ago . it seems that there were various companies that obtained some quick issue work visas with limitations. Some sugar and construction companies. In reality , there seems to be the same lack of policing of the immigration law , what is new ?. I travel around a lot in the East only and I can recall only seeing on two occasions some form of road blocks with officers on the look out for Haitians. Wat is more surprising is that when I was delivering some used clothes to a batey between La Romana and Higuey there were numerous additions in the families. As these people have almost no money, I did wonder how these additional family members came into the DR. The other evidence I have is the rapidly increasing growth of Haitians in two very poor barrios in La Romana and I wonder again how they got in because they most certainly could not raise $500 plus for a visa.
It seems to me, that in the East at least, the officials are turning a blind eye to the increased Haitian population. This may be for humanitarian reasons or it may be to provide cheap labour to the construction industry which is still very strong. I assume the situation is the the same in the Vernon, Punta Cana and Bavaro areas. So what is legal??I doubt if anyone knows.
It seems to me, that in the East at least, the officials are turning a blind eye to the increased Haitian population. This may be for humanitarian reasons or it may be to provide cheap labour to the construction industry which is still very strong. I assume the situation is the the same in the Vernon, Punta Cana and Bavaro areas. So what is legal??I doubt if anyone knows.
She passed it to me quickly. My hands were filty dirty from planting so I asked her to hold it. I saw a hologram stripe which she seemed to present as a "visa". It was not a seperate doc.
Not legal at all.They walk out after paying a small fee. The trips down to Juan Dolio are not very expensive. (I THINK about $300) All pre-arranged travel. That's "just the way it is". The clothes you donated are sold for $1-2 for shirts, blouses. Not good mens pants that I'v been asked to bring back from my trip now. I'm not bringing that back as I have no more room in my luggage. Empanada girls want shampoo. Tengo. Soap. Tengo.
Brand name sneakers which they can't afford.
Construction industry--major two towers--not touched by the hands of ANY immigration person.
Hohne should find the way of contacting this guy. It's in Spanish, but became a Dominican citizen about a year ago. I don't know how difficult it was for him, but according to him he entered the country legally and found becoming a Dominican citizen much easier than renovating the Haitian passport which expired at a certain point.
The visa I have seen in a Haitian passport was a sticker - attached or glued ( or something ) to a page inside a passport. I have something similar in my Canadian passport when we were accepted into the DR Regularization program. And this person was totally legal here as long as the monthly renewals were stamped in the passport.
Of course that may all have changed since King Louis started the roundup program. Now it seems the roundup posse ( who are generally illiterate) could care less, even if they could read.
The police arrest rough up and release Haitians in and around Sosua for 5,000-7, 000 pesos. It's a common occurrence.
Legally I suppose they should be turned over to immigration and deported. But it's a quick score for police to fleece black people scared to be sent back to Haiti. This happened twice to a neighbor's gardner, once just last week and they confiscated his moto.
You can not help but sympathize with their plight. They have a country that collapsed into dangerous unliveable chaos with no possibility of improving.
I can't remember Haití ever changing for the better.
Yes their are too many illegals in DR. But short of suicide what are they to do?
My cleaning girl just got her legitimate Visa - $600 done in Haiti by a friend.
Most people offering visas to Haitians rip them off and they are lucky if they get their passport back.
Most are humble people and happy to just have something to eat and a dry place to sleep (often on just a foam pad).
And some don't have good intentions and they can be scary - like people everywhere.
Legally I suppose they should be turned over to immigration and deported. But it's a quick score for police to fleece black people scared to be sent back to Haiti. This happened twice to a neighbor's gardner, once just last week and they confiscated his moto.
You can not help but sympathize with their plight. They have a country that collapsed into dangerous unliveable chaos with no possibility of improving.
I can't remember Haití ever changing for the better.
Yes their are too many illegals in DR. But short of suicide what are they to do?
My cleaning girl just got her legitimate Visa - $600 done in Haiti by a friend.
Most people offering visas to Haitians rip them off and they are lucky if they get their passport back.
Most are humble people and happy to just have something to eat and a dry place to sleep (often on just a foam pad).
And some don't have good intentions and they can be scary - like people everywhere.
Yes, it seems to me that the north coast must be worse than the rest of the country, because life is very difficult for Haitians here. My gardener, who used to start work at 8a.m. now starts at 9, because the police make a habit of stopping Haitians who are trying to go to work here in Cabarete between 7 and 8. He tells me the going rate to get out of jail before being deported has gone up to RD$8,000, because the police have found that Haitians find a way to pay it. One Haitian I know, who used to work in construction, now isn't working at all. How he survives, I have no idea.