Passports and Visas

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 cities in Connecticut that include New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford.  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.  New York is considered “Capital of the World”, not only due to its economic power, but also because it is a center of diplomacy and culture.  The city is home to the United Nations and there are over 800 languages spoken here.  The island nation of The Bahamas is represented at the United Nations, and their government also has a consulate and tourism office located in New York.  There are several thousand Bahamian people living in New York and the city is home to the Bahamian American Association.  New York’s three major airports have direct flights to The Bahamas and cruise lines operate itineraries from Cape Liberty Port.

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 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 and the state of Texas have become an attractive destination for immigrants seeking economic freedom and new business opportunities.  One such group that has found great success in Dallas are the Vietnamese.  Initially coming to Texas in 1975 to escape the poverty and destruction of their homeland after the Vietnam War, Vietnamese have found a new home in Dallas and are some our country’s most patriotic citizens.  There are now over 100,000 ethnic Vietnamese in DFW, making Dallas the fourth largest “Vietnamese city” in America.  The city is home to several Vietnamese cultural organizations and a Vietnamese community center located in Garland.

UPDATED November 26, 2022 (Please see information below under "Other things to consider")

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, Fremont, San Jose, San Mateo, and Palo Alto.  The Bay Area is well known for its cultural diversity and large Asian and Pacific Islander population.  There are 500,000 ethnic Filipino people living in the Bay Area, making this the second-largest metropolitan area in the country with immigrants from the Philippines.  In San Francisco, Tagalog (Filipino), is the third most used language in the city after English.  However, there are other cities with even larger Filipino communities, such as Daly City, South San Francisco, Vallejo, and Milpitas, where it seems like Tagalog is number one.  These are places where you will find plenty of Filipino restaurants and grocery stores, like Jollibee and Seafood City, along with LBC Express stores where Filipinos can ship ‘balikbayan’ boxes to family members back home.

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, Miramar, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, and Boca Raton.  This is a diverse community where 40% of the population was born in another country, and it is one of America’s most important cities for international trade.  Miami is a business hub for the Latin American region and is often thought of as the unofficial “Capital of Latin America”.  Miami is also known as the “Cruise Capital of the World” and is home to several cruise companies and cruise ships.  The Bahamas is easily one of the top destinations for cruise ships leaving the Port of Miami and other ports in South Florida, such as Port Everglades.  There are also dozens of flights to The Bahamas leaving from South Florida’s three big airports: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.  Miami and The Bahamas have historic connections.  In fact, Bahamian people were some of the first settlers in Miami and built the town of Coconut Grove.  Today there are over 20,000 Bahamian people living in the Miami area.

UPDATED November 26, 2022 (Please see information below under "Other things to consider")

Honolulu is the largest city in the state of Hawaii and is the most-populous city in the Oceania region (excluding cities in Australia and New Zealand).  Honolulu has a population of 390,000 people making this city the 56th most-populous metropolitan area in the United States, while the Urban Honolulu Metropolitan Statistical Area (this includes the entire population of the island of Oahu, the island where Honolulu is located) has a population of 975,000.  The state of Hawaii is the only island state in America, and includes 8 main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii (known as the “Big Island”).  There are over 340,000 ethnic Filipinos living in Hawaii, making up nearly a quarter of the state’s population.  Honolulu has dozens of Filipino restaurants, including famous restaurants found in Philippines like Max’s, Red Ribbon, and Jollibee.  The town of Waipahu, located in Metro Honolulu, is home to the Filipino Community Center, the largest Filipino community center in the United States.  Honolulu is also home to the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.  The University of Hawaii at Manoa offers a bachelor’s degree in Philippine Language and Culture, and Leeward and Kapi’olani Community College offer language courses in Filipino (Tagalog). 

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.  The metropolitan area includes the municipalities of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, Decatur, Mableton, and others.  Atlanta is a diverse and international city that includes a large diaspora population of people from the Caribbean Community nations, which includes The Bahamas.  There are a few thousand Bahamians living in the Atlanta area, many initially coming to the city to pursue higher education opportunities in the metro area’s 57 colleges and universities.  The city is home to The Bahamas Association of Georgia and the Atlanta Junkanoo Group, an organization formed to promote Bahamian culture.  There are even restaurants in Atlanta where you can try Bahamian cuisine like conch fritters, steamed cabbage, Bahamian stew fish, and Johhycake.  The Bahamas is easily accessible from Atlanta on Delta Airlines with flights to Nassau, Great Exuma, and North Eleuthera. 

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, Miami Gardents, Coral Gables, Miramar, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, and Boca Raton.  This is a diverse community where 40% of the population was born in another country, and it is one of America’s most important cities for international trade.  Miami is a business hub for the Latin American region and is often thought of as the unofficial “Capital of Latin America”.  While Spanish is often heard on the streets of Miami, you will also hear English spoken with a British accent since there are an estimated 400,000 UK citizens living in Florida.  Miami is the headquarters for several British companies such as Diageo, Bupa, Skyscanner, Virgin Voyages, and Lloyd’s of London.  The UK is the biggest foreign investor in Florida, and British individuals own hundreds of small businesses here, employing over 40,000 people across the state.  The UK is easily accessible from Miami through daily nonstop service to London Heathrow on American Airlines, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic. 

Philadelphia is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania and is one of the oldest cities in the United States.  Founded in 1682 by Englishman William Penn, a social reformer and champion of liberty, he named the city Philadelphia using the Greek term meaning “brotherly love”.  Philadelphia has the nickname “City of Brotherly Love” and is nowadays more casually known by locals and non-locals alike as “Philly”.  The Philadelphia metropolitan area has over 6 million people and includes cities and towns in the states of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, in addition to Pennsylvania.  The area is well known as a center of higher education and has more than 80 postsecondary institutions including Temple University, Drexel, Villanova, and University of Pennsylvania, whose Penn Language Center offer courses in Vietnamese.  Philadelphia was one of the main cities for Vietnamese refugees to establish new lives after they fled their country’s civil war in 1975.  There are now 20,000 ethnic Vietnamese living in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.  The “Little Saigon” neighborhood in South Philadelphia is the center of Vietnamese culture where local people can shop for products from Vietnam and enjoy Vietnamese food staples like bánh mì (sandwich), phở (noodle dish), and gỏi cuốn (spring rolls).

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.  The metropolitan area includes the municipalities of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, Decatur, Mableton, Conyers, and others.  Atlanta has become a diverse and international city that includes a few thousand citizens of the United Kingdom among its residents.  Atlanta and the state of Georgia have a strong connection to the United Kingdom.  Georgia was founded in 1733 as a British colony by James Oglethorpe, a British soldier and member of Parliament.  Today the United Kingdom is a leading investor in Georgia, operating over 300 facilities and employing over 20,000 Georgians.  The city of Atlanta is seen by many British companies as being a strategic foothold to the U.S. market.  British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Delta Airlines all have nonstop service to London Heathrow from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  Virgin Atlantic also offers nonstop service to Manchester.

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 the District of Columbia) include Bethesda, College Park, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring—all in Maryland—along with the Virginia towns of Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Fairfax, Reston, and Falls Church, which is home to Eden Center, the largest Vietnamese business district on the East Coast.  The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area has the fifth-largest population of Vietnamese in the United States, numbering over 80,000 residents.  The Vietnamese that initially came to Washington, D.C. were refugees from their country’s civil war, and many of them fought alongside the American military or had relationships with the U.S. government.  Another wave of Vietnamese immigrants resettled to the United States—these were known as “boat people” and would go on to build the Vietnamese business districts (known as “Little Saigon”) found in major American cities like Washington, D.C.