Passports and Visas

Chicago is America’s third-most-populous city and its metropolitan area, known as Chicagoland, has a population approaching 10 million people.  Chicago is a vibrant international city with a robust economy that is the corporate headquarters for 57 Fortune 1000 companies.  While manufacturing and food processing provide a strong foundation for its economy, the city is also an important financial center and is home to the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The Chicago metropolitan area covers 14 counties across three states—Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin—and includes cities like Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, Elgin, Waukegan, Cicero, Skokie, Gary (Indiana), and Kenosha (Wisconsin).  Chicago is home to a few thousand Sierra Leoneans and has a sizable population of West African immigrants.  The city is also home to the United African Organization, whose former Executive Director, Alie Kabba, is a native of Sierra Leone and now serves as the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations.  Other prominent African cultural organizations in Chicago include African International House USA and the Pan-African Association. 

New York is America’s most-populous city, and its metropolitan area has over 20 million people.  New York City contains the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.  The New York metropolitan area includes New York City, Long Island, and the Mid and Lower Hudson Valley.  It also includes several large cities in New Jersey such as Newark, Edison, Elizabeth, Paterson, Jersey City, and Hoboken, along with several large cities in Connecticut.  New York is one of the most important economic regions in the world and has the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States. It is also one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world with over 800 languages spoken in the metropolitan area.  Nearly 5% of New York’s immigrants come from Africa, and Sierra Leonean tribal languages such as Mende and Temne are spoken here, along with Krio, Sierra Leone’s lingua franca.  There are a few thousand Sierra Leoneans living throughout New York, mostly in Staten Island, the Bronx, and Queens.  New York is home to nonprofit groups like the Union of Sierra Leonean Organizations in New York and US Sierra Leonean Association that support the Sierra Leone immigrant community and host cultural events.

The city of Dallas and the surrounding metropolitan area is the most populous metropolis in the southern United States and fourth-most populous in the country.  The Dallas metropolitan area—known as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, or DFW by local residents—has a population of 7.6 million people and includes the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Irving, Garland, Richardson, Frisco, Mesquite, Denton, Grand Prairie, and McKinney.  The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, located in North Texas, is one of the fastest growing regions in the country thanks to its low cost of living, low taxes, abundance of resources, and ease of doing business.  Dallas has the second-highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States and there is a long list of corporations that have been relocating to the area from other parts of the country.  Dallas has a growing population of immigrants, which includes an increasing number of Sierra Leoneans that have relocated from other parts of the U.S.  The area is home to several nonprofit organizations and social groups that promote Sierra Leonean culture and provide services to the community.  There are also local chapters of national organizations which support the traditions and culture of various Sierra Leonean ethnic groups. 

Greater Houston is the fifth most-populous metropolitan area in the United States and has a population of over 7 million residents.  Houston is one of America’s most ethnically diverse cities.  With over 145 different languages being spoken in this global city, it is no surprise that Houston has plenty of great restaurants offering delicious cuisine from all over the world, including several West African restaurants.  This is a fast-growing and youthful city that attracts entrepreneurs, corporate businesspeople, international investors, and students.  Houston is home to the country’s oil and gas industry; a few Houston-based energy companies have been involved in oil exploration off the coast of Sierra Leone, but no commercially viable discoveries have been made yet.  Greater Houston encompasses nine counties and includes the cities of Sugar Land, Baytown, Conroe, Pasadena, Pearland, The Woodlands, and Galveston.  Houston has a large West African immigrant population, and the city hosts many annual festivals and events celebrating the various West African cultures found throughout the area.  While Nigerians are the dominant group within this community, there is still a substantial population of Sierra Leoneans in Houston.

The city of Orlando, located in the Central Florida region of the United States and known as “the City Beautiful”, is ranked as America’s 23rd most-populous city.  The Orlando metropolitan area has a population of 2.6 million people and is home to several theme parks including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal Studios.  Orlando’s theme parks, natural attractions, and year-round warm weather make it one of the most-visited cities in the world.  The Orlando metropolitan area includes various cities and towns such as Kissimmee, Sanford, Winter Garden, Winter Park, Altamonte Springs, and Apopka. While the Sierra Leone immigrant community in Orlando is small, the area has experienced tremendous population growth and is becoming very diverse.  Historically, Florida is an important site of Black American culture as it is home to Fort Mose, which was the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in Colonial America.  Over the years, many African slaves fled the rice plantations of coastal South Carolina and Georgia seeking refuge in Florida, the majority of which were Gullah people who originally came from Sierra Leone.  They would later become known as “Black Seminoles” and established their own settlements like Peliklakaha, near the present-day town of Center Hill, west of Orlando. 

The Greater Miami Area is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the United States and has a population of 6.2 million people.  The metropolitan area is composed of Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County.  Its main cities include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Miami Gardens, Miramar, Homestead, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, and Boca Raton.  This is a diverse community where 40% of the population was born in another country, however, the immigrant population of West Africans in Miami is small compared to other major U.S. cities, and there are very few Sierra Leoneans—most immigrants from Sierra Leone in the state of Florida reside in the Jacksonville area.  Historically, Florida is an important site of Black American culture as it is home to Fort Mose, which was the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in Colonial America.  Over the years many African slaves escaped the rice plantations of coastal South Carolina and Georgia seeking refuge in Florida, the majority of which were Gullah people who originally came from Sierra Leone.  They would later become known as “Black Seminoles” and established their own settlements and farmed land in Florida. 

Atlanta has a population of over 6 million people, making it the 9th most populous metropolitan area in the United States.  Atlanta is the capital of Georgia, which is the 8th most populous of the 50 states.  The city and surrounding area—known as the Atlanta metropolitan area—is also the commercial capital of the Southeast United States and has the third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country.  The metropolitan area includes the municipalities of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Smyrna, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Tucker, Lithonia, Decatur, Clarkston, Conyers, and several others.  Atlanta is home to immigrants from Sierra Leone and many others that have Sierra Leonean roots.  Some immigrants came to Atlanta as students and enrolled at one of the dozens of college and universities found in the area, while others came as refugees during the civil war that ended in 2002.  Of course, the state of Georgia has deep historical ties to this part of the world, as this was the home of many African slaves that were brought to the Sea Islands to cultivate rice.  Atlanta is also home to many nonprofit organizations like the Center for Disease Control, The Carter Center, and other groups that provide services in Sierra Leone. 

New York is America’s most populous city and its metropolitan area has a population of over 20 million people.  New York City contains the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.  The New York metropolitan area includes New York City, Long Island, and the Mid and Lower Hudson Valley.  It also includes several large cities in New Jersey such as Newark, Edison, Elizabeth, Paterson, Jersey City, and Hoboken, along with several large cities in Connecticut.  New York is one of the most important economic regions in the world and is also one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world.  Nearly 5% of New York’s immigrants come from Africa, and Liberian tribal languages belonging to the Kru and Mande family of languages are spoken here, along with Liberian Kreyol (Kolokwa).  There are an estimated 35,000 Liberian immigrants in the New York metropolitan area, many living in Newark, New Jersey and Staten Island, which is home to the “Little Liberia” neighborhood. 

Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States and is an important global city that attracts visitors from all over the world.  The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area—which includes the District of Columbia and parts of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia—is America’s sixth-largest metropolis and has a population of 6.3 million people.  Cities within this area (apart from Washington, D.C.) include Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Reston—all in Virginia—along with the Maryland towns of Bethesda, College Park, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring.  The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area and nearby city of Baltimore (which is sister cities with the Liberian city of Gbarnga) have a Liberian immigrant population of nearly 20,000 residents.  The area is home to several nonprofit organizations that promote medical development, cultural, economic, and educational ties between the United States and Liberia.  Morgan State University and Baltimore City College both have collections of Liberian artwork and handcrafted artifacts.

Greater Houston is the fifth most-populous metropolitan area in the United States with a population of over 7 million residents.  Houston is one of America’s most ethnically diverse cities.  With over 145 different languages being spoken in this global city, it is no surprise Houston has plenty of great restaurants offering delicious cuisine from all over the world, including several West African restaurants.  This is a fast-growing and youthful city that attracts entrepreneurs, corporate businesspeople, international investors, and students.  Houston is the home to the country’s oil and gas industry and is also home to 350 aerospace and aviation companies.  Greater Houston encompasses nine counties and includes the cities of Sugar Land, Baytown, Conroe, Pasadena, Pearland, The Woodlands, and Galveston.  There are about 3,000 Liberian immigrants living in Houston and the city is home to several nonprofit organizations and church groups that host cultural events and provide services to the Liberian community.  Texas Southern University, an historically black university, played host to former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf when she visited Houston in 2012.