After a brief explanation
of the terms Embassy, Consulate, Post, Consular Section, and Mission, we were
informed that Santo Domingo is the Top 10 consular post in the world to issue
Nonimmigrant visas, and second to issue Immigrant Visas. The post issues between 50 to 60,000
immigrant visas per year, and 330,000 nonimmigrant visas, which between 95-98%
are B-1/B-2 visas to Citizens of the Dominica Republic. Last month, Santo Domingo was 8th
ahead of Bogota. The Dominican Republic
has a population of about 10 million.
Approximately, the Consular Section states that they had a 65/35%
approval/denial rate, and that 98% of the denials were attributable to Section
214(b).
Third Country
Nationals: Although there is not a vast
number of third country national applicants, Santo Domingo top TCNs go to
citizens of China, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela.
There is no residency requirement to apply in Santo Domingo.
Appointments:
Appointments are about 2 months out on average in Santo Domino, and it is one
of the longest wait times for a Consular Post for visitors’ visas. They prioritize F-1s. Availability of appointments varies
constantly. If an appointment is not
available for a long time (i.e. 6 months or more), the applicant is advice to
take the available appointment, and then attempt to reschedule it should
appointments become available later. The
Consular Post opens at 6:30 a.m. and they let any person with an appointment at
that time. However, applicants are
encouraged to come within 30 minutes of their appointment time to avoid waiting
for their appointment.
The Application Support
Center for biometrics is located at the Galeria 360 Shopping Mall, about 2
miles from the Embassy.
Emergency
Appointments: If an applicant has an
emergency, they are advised to contact Santodomingovisas@state.gov
and state the nature of the emergency and request an emergency appointment.
Interview Process: Generally, the Consular Officers do not
review any documents in specific as any document can be easily obtainable in
the Dominican Republic. They focus more
on general interrogation, nervousness, appearance. The only exception would be when requesting a
212(d)(3) waiver, they need to see conviction documents. The Consular Officer generally will focus on
the two aspects of Section 214(b): (1) does the applicant have immigrant
intent; and (2) will the applicant use the visa correctly.
E Visa Process: At this time, the applicant makes the
appointment, gets interviewed and delivers the application package (no set
rules for presentation), the case will be issued a 221(g) note and they will
usually receive a decision in 2 weeks.
The NIV Chief did state that currently they are not a big post for E
visa issuance, but their applications are increasing. Consequently, if the volume increases they
may revisit their procedures.
Consular Review of USCIS
Approvals: When asked about their review
of approved applications, the Santo Domingo Embassy will not re-adjudicate a
case, but will look for new information since the time of approval.