The United States Embassy in Santo Domingo reported that in 2023, it has issued nearly 65,000 immigrant visas. The visa information is released at a time when US Coast Guard ships continue to intercept home-made boats loaded with persons seeking to reach Puerto Rico, and there are reports of Dominicans dying in the Darien jungle, or in traffic accidents in Mexico.
According to the embassy’s charge d’affaires Patricia Aguilera, the US Consulate also handled over 200,000 non-immigrant visas, surpassing the numbers from 2019. Much of this renewed visa activity resulted from the Global Entry Program, which was introduced at the embassy just this year.
The US Embassy spokesperson also noted that the number of Dominican students studying in US universities is up by 16%.
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El Caribe
26 December 2023