Help needed from Dominicans living in U.S. – NYC area

[ESL Teacher]

Hello. I'm new to the forum, so I hope I'm posting this in the right place, sorry if I'm not.

I’m taking a course in graduate school on immigrant children in U.S. schools and I’m looking for some help with a project I am working on about immigrants to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic

What I am looking to find out is:

The circumstances which accompany emigration from the Dominican Republic. For example:

• Emigrations patterns (what areas/towns are people leaving in the DR to come to U.S.)
• Reasons why people leave
• Describe the process of obtaining exit visas, leaving the country, modes of traveling or arriving in the U.S. (legally or illegally)

I also am looking for information about immigration communities on Long Island and in the NYC metro area. In particular:

• agencies or organizations which assist immigrants from the DR
• any typical jobs/employment trends.

Most of this information I have been seeking from resources that I can document as research-based. I understand that using an online forum is not a reliable source of information, however, I am still interested in finding out as much as I can from people who have experienced these things firsthand.

Finally, the thing I would really like to find out is …

• Which aspects of American culture are immigrants from the DR most critical of and what elements of their own home culture they tend to miss. In other words, what do immigrants from the DR appreciate about American culture and what do they find problematic?

As I stated before the replies I receive here will not be used in my paper as they are not research-based, however, I may use some examples in my oral presentation.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you know of any resources that might help me find out more about these topics, please let me know. Any feedback/comment/help is appreciated!

[cuas]

Alianza Dominicana is a big organization.
Dominicans come from every corner of DR to where there is a receiving person or family. I came to the Bronx because I stayed with friends in the Bronx until I got my wings.
Why leaving DR.? Most of Dominicans for economical reasons.
I was earning in 1988 300 pesos as an accountant. Years earlier 2 younger siblings quit college and returned to Aruba (born there) because they saw no future in DR when you do not have connections. After trying to find a better paying job I decided to come to US to offer a 4 years old daughter a better chance. I struggled but my daughter is working on her master on architecture and employed by A & T North Carolina State University in her field where she is gaining experience.
How I came to US? If interested PM me and we can talk about it.
I read a lot here about DR1 members who knows where their next meal come from critizising Dominicans who leaves DR to try to make sure their family have a secure next meal no matter is it quitting school or what other thinks is the best job. You have to be in their shoes.

[PICHARDO]

Originally Posted by ESL Teacher

Hello. I'm new to the forum, so I hope I'm posting this in the right place, sorry if I'm not.

I’m taking a course in graduate school on immigrant children in U.S. schools and I’m looking for some help with a project I am working on about immigrants to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic

What I am looking to find out is:

The circumstances which accompany emigration from the Dominican Republic. For example:

• Emigrations patterns (what areas/towns are people leaving in the DR to come to U.S.)
  
  The area where most out of country migration initiates in the DR is the central region.
• Reasons why people leave
  #1 Money
  #2 Education (seeking higher levels of education)
  #3 Family bonds (a good 65% of the yearly migration is concentrated around family reunification, as many Dominicans already settled in their new countries will bring their siblings aboard with them.)
  #4 Hopes (young people are open to new experiences and opt to fend for themselves once opportunities at home become clearly "stagnant")
• Describe the process of obtaining exit visas, leaving the country, modes of traveling or arriving in the U.S. (legally or illegally)
  
  There are several levels of hardships/easiness in obtaining a visa to the USA:
  
  #1 Visas are 99% assured to those of the highest income bracket in the DR social/economic status. For these people, obtaining a visa is just the mechanics of filling the forms and providing the basic requirements of the due process.
  
  #2 Visas are harder to get for the middle class due to the need to make transparent their financial status to fend off any intent to use such visa as an one-way trip to the USA.
  These families must go beyond the basic requirements to ease the suspicions of the consular officers regarding their intentions. For the most part, they're loaded to provide ample proof of why they won't over stay or abuse the visa to the USA, instead of the burden being on the consular officer making such decision.
  
  #3 "Visa para un Sueno" as the visas for the mid class-down are called, is the one lucky shot in a million that they’ll secure the trip to the US. These families/individuals are 99% sure they'll be denied and 1% hoping they'll find an angel on the other end.
  
  There are not exit visas in the DR to obtain, all you need is a passport and the destination country's visa to travel there.
  
  The modes of travel are 100% via the commercial airliners serving the DR-USA travel routes. Dominicans have a well developed air travel network equal and sometimes above world standards. The same is true for those making the illegal trek there, just with the slight variation of using forged documents for the trip. Those who take the trip aboard yolas to Puerto Rico and later via Air travel to the US mainland, can be said to be the least able to secure a travel visa from the US consul there. The poorest if you will...
  
  
  

I also am looking for information about immigration communities on Long Island and in the NYC metro area. In particular:

• agencies or organizations which assist immigrants from the DR
  
  As noted above in the preceding post, the Alianza Dominicana is the oldest and far most useful of the many available in most of the cities where Dominican migration is concentrated.
  
• any typical jobs/employment trends.
  Typical jobs? The list is easy to fill:
  #1 Bodegueros (owners and workers)
  #2 Supermarkets (chain owners and workers)
  #3 Restaurants (chain owners and workers)
  #4 Beauty Parlors (owners and workers)
  #5 Clothing stores (owners and workers)
  #6 Auto Service Shops (owners and workers)
  #7 Barbershops (owners and workers)
  #8 Travel Agencies (owners and workers)
  #9 Gas Stations (owners and workers)
  #10 Etc, etc, etc...
  
  Too many to list...

Most of this information I have been seeking from resources that I can document as research-based. I understand that using an online forum is not a reliable source of information, however, I am still interested in finding out as much as I can from people who have experienced these things firsthand.

Finally, the thing I would really like to find out is …

• Which aspects of American culture are immigrants from the DR most critical of and what elements of their own home culture they tend to miss. In other words, what do immigrants from the DR appreciate about American culture and what do they find problematic?

Appreciate: The opportunity to do things you are able to at home but can't because the economic and social status. "The land of opportunity"

DR culture missing: The thing the miss most is the actual "family and social" life of the country unlike the individuality and monochrome style in the US.

As I stated before the replies I receive here will not be used in my paper as they are not research-based, however, I may use some examples in my oral presentation.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you know of any resources that might help me find out more about these topics, please let me know. Any feedback/comment/help is appreciated!

Hope that helps...

[ESL Teacher]

Wow! Thank you so much. That was so helpful! I really appreciate it your detailed answer.

[Chirimoya]

The south west is also a major migration area. It is the poorest part of the country and a significant proportion of migrants are women, and go to Europe (mainly Spain, Italy, Switzerland) rather than the US. Anecdotal - in places like Vicente Noble women of working age are notably absent. They tend to work in domestic service, the sex trade, or get married to foreigners.

[ESL Teacher]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

The south west is also a major migration area. It is the poorest part of the country and a significant proportion of migrants are women, and go to Europe (mainly Spain, Italy, Switzerland) rather than the US. Anecdotal - in places like Vicente Noble women of working age are notably absent. They tend to work in domestic service, the sex trade, or get married to foreigners.

Thank you, also very useful and interesting. I will definitely be able to use this information to further my research.