The Haitian Times
www.haitiantimes.com
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC — Student visas to the Dominican Republic will no longer be available to Haitian students, local radio station Metropole reported. The Dominican vice minister for consular affairs announced the change on Nov. 3.
The visa suspension follows a tweet from the Dominican Republic’s president, Luis Abinader, deploring the inaction of the international community toward the security crisis in Haiti.
An estimated 70,000 Haitian nationals are currently studying in universities in the neighboring country. Haitians who are already in the Dominican Republic on student visas will not be affected by the new restrictions.
Suspending new visas is the latest measure by the Dominican Republic to stem the flow of Haitians migrating across its shared border. Earlier this year, Haiti’s closest neighbor began requiring that 80% of construction and agriculture workers be Dominican.
Remittances from Haiti to the Dominican Republic have grown exponentially in recent years, with more than $70 million transferred between January and August 2021, according to Dominican authorities. The majority of funds are intended for Haitian students. Read more
