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My wife and I in the process of getting our visa paper work in order. We hope to have it sent in in Dec. I too would like to know how long await we are in for.

I am shocked to hear the new system isn't working.  Shocked I say!!!!

Ok sarcasm aside let me ask Lishali (residency lawyer) how things are going!

I'm not aware of the new system for Visas, but please wait until you actually have your Residencia to arrange your shipping! You need your visa from the Consulate, then you have to submit your full application for residency to MigracIon in Santo Domingo and have a medical exam. it is only after that process is complete and you are granted residency that you can import a container duty free. It is worth storing your items in the US rather than pay taxes on all your personal items.

Lishali has confirmed there is no new "system". 

Current times are 5 to 6 months from deposit of documents in the DR to residency.

    Lishali has confirmed there is no new "system". 
Current times are 5 to 6 months from deposit of documents in the DR to residency.
   

    -@planner

it sounds like the OP is still in the visa application process. That part is the Ministry of State for Foreign Affairs rather than Migracion, so maybe they have a change?

I read it the office in Chicago is blaming DR!

Whatever there is NO new process.

what our consulate office in Chicago told us is that this " new system" handled the way consulates and other departments outside the DR could submit the documents to the DR for their processing and approval -- that this new "system / program" was not allowing attachments to be attached to the email.

Im just upset and disappointed that we have been mislead and ignored for so many months when it looks like we still have a few months to go. Getting anyone in Chicago to reply to a phone message or email takes weeks and multiple attempts - then we get the same a 1 line reply that our file is still under review.

We finally got everything submitted and our consulate officer approval the first week in july but it was almost 2 months later (the end of august I think) before she finally replied that our file had made it out of Chicago and was finally on a desk in the DR - sounds like it could be 6 months from that date. When we submitted our file, she told us that she was getting approval and the visas back for travel in around 2 months.

I have had the luck to deal with a few different countries immigration departments looking for visas and eventually citizenship - but this process in the DR is by far the worst for communication and ability to follow up on where the file is within their process.

Again I will follow up with Lishali on this but frankly this does not sound correct. I think the Chicago consulate is having issues and shifting responsibility.

@planner

that is what my fear has been but have no other source of info to do anything about it - really feel stuck. I will reach out to Lishali ( I made contact with her at the beginning of this process but seems to me its time to ask for a pro to step in)

thanks for everything this group does - it helps all of us navigate the pages in the new chapter of our new life

@Bigskydomes Remember that there are different departments handling Visas (Ministry of State for Foreign Affairs, like our Bureau of Consular Affairs in the Department of State) and Residencia (The General Directorate of Migration, like our USCIS under the Department of Homeland Security). The good news is that once you eventually get your Visa, you'll be done with them! The only problems or delays we've heard about have been with the visa process - and Chicago seems to be particularly bad! I've heard NYC is good, and we went with DC and got our visas in 4 weeks (just before COVID).

Other than people failing the medical exam due to drugs - mainly cannabis - in their systems, I'm not aware of anyone else having an issue getting their residency once they had their visa.

Our consular officer in Chicago, held up our file for a few days until we got a clean bill of health from our Chicago medical exam - I was a bit confused then (as I am now) on how many medical exams we have to go through to get the visa file completed and approved. As I understand the instructions on how to apply - we need to get a medical exam in the DR (not in the US) but so be it

For your VISA application to the Consulate, you have to provide a statement of good health. For ours, we did not have to get exams, we provided sample language to our primary care doctor, and he wrote our letters.

When your application for RESIDENCY with Migracion is accepted - when you provide the physical copies of the items submitted online and may be interviewed (we were not) - you will then go to their medical facility for the physical exam. This includes a chest x-ray, blood tests, urine tests, and vitals. You'll then sit down with the doctor to answer a bunch of questions.

@ddmcghee

thanks for clarifying that