Dominican Republic to ease work permits for Venezuelans with expired documents

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic is set to facilitate work permits for Venezuelan citizens with expired documentation, announced President Luis Abinader on Monday. This decision comes in response to the inability of Venezuelans to renew their passports due to the departure of consular and diplomatic representatives from the country, as ordered by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“We have done it before. We have facilitated work permits without up-to-date documents and if needed, we will do it again,” stated Abinader during his weekly press conference.

Abinader emphasized the historical debt the Dominican Republic owes to Venezuela. He highlighted Venezuela’s support for democracy during the Trujillo dictatorship and the assistance provided to Dominican citizens who worked in Venezuela, with over 250,000 Dominicans employed there at one point.

The diplomatic crisis stems from the Venezuelan government’s response to concerns raised by seven countries, including the Dominican Republic, about the transparency of the July 28 elections. The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner for a third term, a result deemed “fraudulent” by the opposition. In retaliation, Maduro’s government demanded the immediate withdrawal of diplomatic representatives from these countries and announced the withdrawal of its own representatives.

Abinader reaffirmed his stance on supporting democracy in Venezuela and called for the publication of electoral records but did not explicitly recognize Edmundo González Urrutia as the election winner.