The Dominican Republic has issued a total of 1,354,187 visas to Haitian citizens at its consulates in Haiti over the past four government terms from 2009 to 2024, averaging more than 300,000 visas per four-year period, Diario Libre reports.
According to data shared by the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex), the breakdown of visas issued during each government term is as follows:
• 2009-2012: 314,581 visas (President Leonel Fernandez)
• 2012-2016: 342,536 visas (President Danilo Medina)
• 2016-2020: 387,771 visas (President Danilo Medina)
• 2020-2024: 309,299 visas (President Luis Abinader)
The data indicates that the lowest number of visas issued occurred during the most recent term, 2020-2024 of President Luis Abinader, with 309,299 permits granted.
Yearly averages for visa issuance during these periods are:
• 2009-2012: 78,645 visas
• 2012-2016: 85,634 visas
• 2016-2020: 96,943 visas
• 2020-2024: 75,747 visas
In a recent statement, Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez clarified that the Dominican government has not issued any tourist visas to Haitian citizens in 2024. This information was confirmed by Mirex in response to a request from Diario Libre via the public information access office. On social media, Foreign Minister Álvarez had noted that the consulates have only granted 102 visas for humanitarian trade purposes since last year.
The minister’s comments followed former President Leonel Fernández’s mention in his weekly column in Listín Diario that Mirex had issued approximately 39,000 tourist visas to Haitians in September 2024 alone and over 400,000 in 2024. These assertions were supposedly based on information from former General José Miguel Soto Jiménez. Soto Jimenez is a former Minister of the Armed Forces.
“Upon my return to the country, we will invite the media to the Ministry of Foreign Relations to verify that our consulates in Haiti have only issued 102 visas for humanitarian trade purposes since September 2023,” Álvarez had stated while attending an event in Mexico with President Luis Abinader.
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Diario Libre
Acento
DR1 News
3 October 2024