A marked spike in residency permits issued by the Migration Agency (DGM) in May 2024 has sparked questions after data revealed that the agency processed more documents in that single month than it typically does in four years, Listin Diario reports. The newspaper did not report the DGM explanation for the unusual increase in residency permits.
In May 2024, the Dominican Republic’s Migration Agency (DGM) was led by Venancio Alcántara. Alcántara remained at the helm of the agency until late September 2024, when today director, Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, was officially sworn in as his successor.
According to DGM statistics, the Dominican Republic historically maintains a steady flow of 25,000 to 33,000 residency permits annually. However, 2024 shattered these norms with a total of 148,301 permits, a nearly 400% increase over previous years.
The “May effect”
The anomaly is centered almost entirely on May 2024, the same month the country held its general elections. President Luis Abinader sought to be reelected.
While the DGM usually averages between 1,600 and 2,800 permits monthly, it issued a staggering 122,560 documents in that 31-day window.
The vast majority of these (over 133,000) were temporary residencies, suggesting a massive, accelerated regularization effort.
The surge primarily benefited Haitian and Venezuelan nationals. Of the 128,489 residencies granted to Haitians between 2018 and 2025, 62% were issued in May 2024 alone. Venezuelans accounted for over 9,500 documents issued during the election month.
Preliminary data for 2025 suggests the “May Effect” was a one-time event. With only 32,174 permits issued through November 2025, the DGM appears to have returned to its historical averages. This sudden contraction reinforces the view that the 2024 surge was an extraordinary departure from standard immigration policy.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
13 January 2026