Speaking at a press conference at the Presidential Palace yesterday, Thursday 18 June 2015, the International Organization for Migration representative in the Dominican Republic, Cy Winter, said that the implementation of the National Foreigner Legalization Plan (PNRE) had been positive with good results. He highlighted that around 75,000 more people had applied than the 210,000 who were originally expected to register.
Winter said the OIM would provide support to ensure that each foreigner who had registered may meet the requirements and obtain legal status.
Winter thanked the Dominican people for the registration of so many undocumented foreigners, and for the training provided to Dominican officials to identify the paperwork. He trusted that each migrant worker would have access to social security, as reported in Listin Diario.
He said he would be meeting with President Danilo Medina soon to give the official OIM feedback on the process. In a separate press release, the OIM calls on the Dominican authorities to extend the process. As the deadline approached, the number of applicants multiplied, indicating Haitian undocumented immigrants had begun to take registration seriously.
Nevertheless, Winter also acknowledged that the Immigration Law establishes the procedures for foreigners to opt for regularizing their stay.
During the same press conference, Minister of Interior and Police Jose Ramon Fadul described the plan as a success. He said that the procedure that ended at midnight on Wednesday, 17 June, had resulted in the registration of 288,466 immigrants of 23 nationalities, of whom only 4,600 completed the requirements.
Fadul added that the process would come to an end in 45 days when the paperwork submitted will be validated.
Fadul said that of the 288,466 applicants who have registered, 102,940 applied by presenting birth certificates, 69,997 registered with identity cards, 95,164 with passports, and 20,345 without any document, but their biometric and facial data was captured in the system.
Fadul concluded by saying that the applicants who registered with passports would receive a non-resident card valid for two years, for either work or study, subject to their status being validated within this period. The two-year card will be renewable. Applicants who did not present any paperwork will also be evaluated.