Passports and Visas

UPDATED September 21, 2022 (Please see message below regarding COVID-19 Restrictions)

The Greater Miami Area is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the United States and has a population of 6.2 million people.  The metro area is composed of Miami-Dade, Broward, 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.  Miami is considered the unofficial “Capital of Latin America” because it is a hub for transportation, culture, international trade, and finance for the Latin American and Caribbean region.  It plays this role as a center of transportation and distribution not only for American companies, but also for Asia-based firms.  The Japanese have a strong economic presence in Miami and the state of Florida, having over 140 companies operating here.  Famous brands like Hitachi, Honda, Mitsubishi, Sony, Sumitomo, and Konica Minolta operate in Florida and export their products throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.  Likewise, Miami area companies like Office Depot, Kaplan, Citrix Systems, ADT Corporation, Hard Rock Cafe, and others do business in Japan.  Miami residents interested in learning about the culture of Japan can visit The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach. 

Tanzania remains a popular destination for Atlanta area tourists seeking a variety of unique adventures.  From the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro to African bush safaris and the tropical islands of the Zanzibar archipelago, “the green land” promises numerous one-of-a-kind natural experiences.

The United Republic of Tanzania, located in eastern Africa on the Indian Ocean, was formed in 1964 by the union of two former British colonies: Tanganyika and Zanzibar.  The country’s population of more than 65 million people blends more than 120 ethnic groups, creating a unique Swahili culture composed of African, Arab, European, and Asian influences.  More than 100 languages are spoken in Tanzania.  Most locals speak Swahili, but English is still used in secondary and higher education, foreign trade, and high court proceedings.

Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan and the second largest metropolitan area in the Midwest (after Chicago).  Detroit is better known by its nickname “Motor City”, or “Motown”, because of its prominence as the global center of the automotive industry.  Although the city has certainly had its share of ups and downs, Detroit remains an important and influential American city.  The Detroit metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, has a population of 4.3 million and is the fourteenth-largest metropolis in the United States.  Metro Detroit includes the towns of Dearborn, Royal Oak, Auburn Hills, Livonia, Southfield, Rochester Hills, Warren, Pontiac, Troy, Sterling Heights, and other municipalities.  Just across the Ambassador Bridge—which spans the Detroit River and connects the city of Detroit and Windsor—sits Canada and the province of Ontario.  Although Windsor is a Canadian city, it has a close relationship with Detroit and is affectionately known by some as “South Detroit”.  Everyday thousands of Canadians cross into Detroit by car to make short-term trips for shopping and entertainment.  This border crossing is also an important commercial link between the United States and Canada.  Over one-fourth of goods traded between our two countries are transported across the Ambassador Bridge. 

Los Angeles is America’s second most populous city after New York.  Greater Los Angeles—which includes Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Ventura County, and Orange County—has a population of nearly 19 million people.  Known for its endless sprawl, Greater Los Angeles is the largest metropolitan region in the United States by land area and includes over 200 cities such as Santa Monica, Pasadena, Culver City, Burbank, Long Beach, Carson, Irvine, Anaheim, and Inglewood.  Los Angeles and the Southern California region have always attracted newcomers from all over the world because of its huge economy.  It is an especially attractive destination for young people interested in the film and music industry.  Sharing a common language and culture, it’s not uncommon for New Zealanders to make their way to Los Angeles in search of new career opportunities.  Los Angeles is also home to America’s largest seaport and is an important entry point for New Zealand exports like wine, meat, and dairy products.  The government of New Zealand has a consulate in Los Angeles along with an office that promotes trade ties with America (called New Zealand Trade and Enterprise).  Kiwis in LA is an organization for New Zealanders that hosts social and business networking events. 

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada and is located in the Mojave Desert, bordering California and Arizona.  The Las Vegas metropolitan area, known as the Las Vegas Valley, includes Clark County and the cities of North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City, as well as several other unincorporated communities.  The Las Vegas Valley has a population of 2.3 million people and has been America’s fastest growing city the past decade.  Although Las Vegas ranks only as the 28th-most populous city in the United States, there could be as many as 300,000 tourists visiting here on any given day.  Las Vegas is known as “America’s Playground” and is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.  “America’s Playground” is more than just a city people like to visit—it is also a place people like to live, including an estimated 30,000 British.  Its sunny weather, low cost of living, comfortable suburban neighborhoods, nonstop entertainment, and outdoor activities make Las Vegas a great place for families, location independent entrepreneurs, and retirees.  McCarran International Airport (LAS) is the primary international airport for Las Vegas and serves 50 million passenger per year.  LAS has nonstop flights to over 140 destinations, including routes to the United Kingdom.

Seattle is the largest city in America’s Pacific Northwest region and located in the state of Washington.  The Seattle metropolitan area has a population of 4 million people and is the fifteenth-largest metropolis in the United States.  Known as the “Emerald City”, Seattle is situated in a magnificent natural environment, surrounded by evergreen forests, mountains, and water.  The Seattle metropolitan area includes the cities of Tacoma, Bellevue, Kent, Everett, Renton, Kirkland, Federal Way, and Redmond.  Seattle has nearly twenty thousand immigrants from West Africa that have come here to study, open businesses, and work in various industries including health care, education, manufacturing, and engineering.  Others have come here as refugees, the diversity lottery program, or reunite with family.  Gambians have been in the Seattle area for over 35 years and have an active community that holds annual events such as Gambia Independence Day and social gatherings to celebrate weddings and naming ceremonies.  Seattle is home to the Washington West African Center, an organization dedicated to promoting West African culture and providing services to Gambian people.  Seattle even has some West African restaurants and markets serving Gambian dishes such as Yassa, Benachin, and Domoda. 

Many tourists from Atlanta may not know about the hidden treasures of Mozambique, but with the increase in travel to East Africa, more and more people are discovering the African wildlife and tropical beaches of the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”.

The Republic of Mozambique, located in southeastern Africa on the Indian Ocean, is slightly larger than the combined land areas of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  Portuguese settlers ruled the area for more than 400 years before the country gained independence in 1975.  The official language remains Portuguese, although most residents speak one of the native languages as their primary language.  English-speakers are also common, especially in tourist-friendly regions along the coast and around major cities, particularly in southern Mozambique.  The combination of European and African influences has created unique cultural and culinary experiences.

The economic and cultural ties between Atlanta and the Republic of India continue to grow as more India citizens relocate to Georgia for personal and professional reasons.  Since the 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta has evolved into an international city, drawing newcomers from around the globe with its moderate weather, strong economy, growing immigrant populations, and world-class transportation infrastructure.

Atlanta ranks among the top 10 U.S. cities for Asian-Indian population.  The number of Asian residents in the 10-county Atlanta has more than doubled over the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Census Department.  About seven percent (301,000) of Atlanta residents were of Asian descent in 2019, and Indians made up one-third of that total with more than 100,000 people.  Pew Research later estimated that there are 150,000 Asian-Indians in the Atlanta area.  

UPDATED January 21, 2024

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.  Miami is considered the unofficial “Capital of Latin America” because it is a hub for transportation, culture, international trade, and finance for the Latin American and Caribbean region, much like Hong Kong (and now Singapore) has played a role as a hub for trade with China and East Asia.  Although the city’s ties with East Asia are not as strong as those of other major U.S. cities, there has long been a presence of Chinese in Miami that goes back to the 1920s.  The first Chinese came to Miami from other parts of the United States to establish grocery and laundry businesses.  In later decades Chinese relocated to Miami from Latin American countries where they had been living to escape economic and political instability.  In recent times, with the growing prosperity of China, there has been an increase in Chinese tourists, investors, and international students in the city of Miami.

San Francisco, known as the “City by the Bay”, is one of America’s most famous and beautiful cities.  Located in Northern California, San Francisco is just one of the many cities that together make up the San Francisco Bay Area, or Bay Area for short.  The 14-county combined statistical area (that comprises the Bay Area) has nearly 10 million people, making it the fifth-most populous region in the United States.  The Bay Area includes cities such as Oakland, Berkeley, Vallejo, Concord, Pleasanton, San Jose, San Mateo, and Palo Alto.  San Francisco is well known for its cultural diversity and large Asian population, including about 300,000 people with ethnic heritage from India, ranking the Bay Area as the second-largest Indian American population in the U.S.  Although Indians have lived in the Bay Area for many years—some coming through Angel Island in the 19^th century to work in agriculture—most are recent arrivals that have come here the past few decades to work in information technology.  Cities like Fremont, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Cupertino have a large concentration of Indians.  These cities have Hindu temples, Indian grocery stores, and restaurants.  There are even theaters that feature movies in Indian languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Bangla.