Santo Domingo, 11 January 2026.- Despite a tightening of migration controls and numerous expulsions, Haitian nationals remain the main nationality to obtain legal status in the Dominican Republic in 2025. According to official data from the Directorate-General for Migration (DGM), out of more than 32,000 residence permits issued to foreigners between January and November, Haitians lead with 9,184 titles, or 28.5 per cent of the total, in front of other nationalities.
Then came Venezuelans (4,679 permits), whose strong presence is explained by the development of the Migration Standardization Plan launched in 2018. Behind them are the Chinese (2,750 permits), Colombia (1,948), the United States (1,913), Cuba (1,716) and Spain (1,571).
In 2025, the average issuance was approximately 2,900 permits per month, of which 80% were for temporary residences (25,701 titles) and 18% for applications for permanent residence (5,745 applications), although only 728 persons were granted permanent residence status.
The diversity of profiles is also notable: 125 different nationalities have applied for a residence permit, including persons whose nationality is not clearly defined in the DGM database, such as designated nationals of the« European Union » or « United Nations ». Others from distant countries such as Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, Madagascar, Myanmar and East Timor have also applied.
This situation highlights an important paradox: while the Dominican Republic has intensified the expulsions of migrants, especially Haitians, they also remain the main beneficiaries of regularization, reflecting both the extent of migration flows and the complexity of the Dominican migration system.
W.E.
