Surge of Puerto Ricans Fly to Dominican Republic to Avoid Economic Crisis

Puerto Ricans are flying to the Dominican Republic in an attempt to escape political turmoil back home. Puerto Rico faces a grim economic future as many residents find that political uncertainty adds fuel to the flames.

Puerto Rico's debt crisis has not improved. While government has done what it can to help alleviate the crisis, analysts admit that there really is no quick fix to the crisis.

The territory is faced with a staggering $70 billion in debt as well as a 45% poverty rate. The territory's leaders are to meet with creditors in efforts to alleviate the debt and work on a possible restructuring deal.

Since Puerto Rico's debt crisis, more than 250,000 residents have lost their jobs. Jose Villamil, an economist, said in a report with Knowledge at Wharton that the 2006 incident was "not a recession, but rather the culmination of a long process of weak economic performance."

It is because of this that many Puerto Ricans have decided to pack it up and leave home in order find a better future in the Dominican Republic. Both are U.S. territories, so Puerto Ricans will still remain U.S. citizens, Latina reports.

While it is hard to determine the number of Puerto Ricans who enter the territory, Dominican consul Franklin Grullon said that it was "unusual" for a Puerto Rican to apply for a work visa. Grullon also reported that there has been a surge in visa applications and the trend is expected to persist in the upcoming months.

Even professionals are making their way out of Puerto Rico in hopes of finding a better life. Doctors have already left for the mainland and architects are also following suit. The construction industry is another well-paying industry in the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico's engineers and architects hope to bank on that opportunity.

According to the report, most of the Puerto Ricans who have chosen to leave Puerto Rico are those who want to make it big in the tourism sector, particularly young to middle aged men. The tourism industry has surged to an all-time high in the Dominican Republic in recent years, and many who have lost their jobs in Puerto Rico hope to make it big.  

With the stagnant economy in the territory and the uncertainty of Puerto Rico's political and economic future, many Puerto Ricans would rather take the risk and pack it up than stay where tax increases, higher utility bills and dwindling job opportunities awaits them.