Dominican Republic

Around 139,800 Venezuelan migrants and refugees were hosted in the Dominican Republic at the beginning of 2024, making it the country with the largest number of Venezuelans in the Caribbean. Most have come to the country because of the economic collapse in Venezuela. Despite immigration restrictions, the flow of Venezuelans to the Dominican Republic has continued through all countries of the Caribbean, sometimes through irregular and unsafe routes, and has made the country with the largest number of Venezuelans in the Caribbean.

In 2021, the country's Normalization Plan for Venezuelans was in place. This plan sought to regularize migrants’ status and allowed them to obtain work permits, open bank accounts, and access the social security system. Around 63% of Venezuelan migrants were not able to acquire their regular status because of funding barriers, a lack of information, and difficulties in obtaining the documentation required for the process. Venezuelan migrants living in rural areas experience more difficulties in acquiring a regular status because of poor road infrastructure and a lack of transport.

Although the Dominican Republic has one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America and the Caribbean, the population’s access to economic opportunities and services remains unequal. Socioeconomic inequalities also affect Venezuelan migrants and refugees, who sometimes face limited access to job opportunities and services, especially when lacking documentation.

(R4V 30/01/2024, Diario Libre 27/07/2022, R4V 07/03/2023)