Passports and Visas

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.  The Orlando economy is expanding thanks to the internal migration of Americans from slow growth states along with the flow of immigrants from countries like Brazil.  There are over 75,000 Brazilians living in Orlando and the city is an extremely popular destination for tourists, with over one million Brazilians coming to the Central Florida region each year.  Brazilians love shopping at Orlando’s premium outlet malls and many stores hire Portuguese speaking staff to accommodate these guests.  Orlando is home to dozens of Brazilian restaurants, bakeries, and markets catering to this growing immigrant community and the many Brazilian college students in the area.

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 Metro Atlanta—is also the commercial capital of the Southeast United States and has the third-highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country.  The metropolitan area includes the municipalities of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, Lithonia, Decatur, Mableton, and others.  Atlanta is a diverse and international city that in recent years has attracted a growing number of immigrants from Brazil.  There are an estimated 40,000 Brazilians living in Metro Atlanta, many residing in Marietta and Sandy Springs.  These towns have dozens of Brazilian restaurants, stores, and other businesses serving this immigrant community.  Atlanta is a popular destination for Brazilian investment and there are many Brazilian companies doing business throughout the state of Georgia.  Likewise, many Atlanta-based firms are operating in Brazil or exporting products to the country.  These commercial ties are enhanced through a daily nonstop flight from Atlanta to São Paulo provided by Delta Airlines.

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.  If Greater Los Angeles were its own country, it would be the 15th largest economy in the world (its GDP is nearly ten times the size of Kenya's GDP).  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, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Burbank, Torrance, Long Beach, Carson, Irvine, Anaheim, and Inglewood.  Los Angeles is one of the most multicultural cities on the planet and attracts people from all over the world, including immigrants from East Africa.  Greater Los Angeles is home to about 5,000 Kenyans, who live mostly in the Inland Empire.  Los Angeles and California will play a strategic role in the development of Kenya as the country works to advance its economy through the government’s Kenya Vision 2030 program.  California companies will provide the technology to help Kenya integrate its economy with the rest of the word.  Kenya has also been a popular location in Africa for Los Angeles’s film industry. 

The number of foreign visitors visiting Kenya has grown to more than 1.5 million people each year, with citizens of the United States helping propel that surge.  Some 220,000 Americans visit Kenya each year – more than those from any other country.  Residents of Greater Los Angeles visit Kenya for African vacations, to pursue business opportunities, to visit family, or to participate in volunteer activities through non-profits and church groups.

UPDATED May 1, 2022

A growing number of Americans are retiring in Ecuador to take advantage of affordable living costs, a warm equatorial climate, and diverse cultural and natural attractions.

While Ecuador has its fair share of problems dealing with poverty and has yet to achieve success to industrialize its economy and provide a strong base of middle-class job opportunities for its citizens, this is a country that is rich in resources and has plenty of cities and towns with sufficient infrastructure, medical facilities, and an educated populace to make this a comfortable place to live for Americans seeking a new life or a second home.  And of course, living costs are significantly lower in Ecuador.  Most retirees can live comfortably on $25,000 a year – much less than the average living costs in countries like the United States or Canada. 

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 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. It is also one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world with over 800 languages spoken in the metropolitan area, including Kenyan languages like Kikuyu, Dholuo, and Swahili.  There are a few thousand Kenyan immigrants living in the New York metropolitan area and the city is home to the Swahili Cultural Institute, a nonprofit organization promoting East African culture and languages.  New York is the only city in the United States to have direct flights to Kenya; Kenya Airways flies from New York (JFK) to Nairobi (NBO) using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The number of foreign visitors visiting Kenya has grown to more than 1.5 million people each year, with citizens of the United States helping propel that surge.  Some 220,000 Americans visit Kenya each year – more than those from any other country.  Residents of the New York metropolitan area visit Kenya for African vacations, to pursue business opportunities, to visit family, or to participate in volunteer activities through non-profits and church groups.

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 one of the largest concentration of Kenyans in the United States.  Dallas is home to several churches that serve the Kenyan immigrant community of North Texas and the city is also home to the East African Chamber of Commerce, an organization formed to promote economic development between the East African countries (such as Kenya) and the United States.

The number of foreign visitors visiting Kenya has grown to more than 1.5 million people each year, with citizens of the United States helping propel that surge.  Some 220,000 Americans visit Kenya each year – more than those from any other country.  Residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area visit Kenya for African vacations, to pursue business opportunities, to visit family, or to participate in volunteer activities through non-profits and church groups.

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 (known as Greater Washington)—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 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.  Washington, D.C. showcases the best of our planet’s cultures through its diversity of restaurants, museums, and festivals.  For example, the National Museum of African Art displays traditional and contemporary art from across the continent, including artwork from Kenya.  There are a few thousand Kenyan immigrants living in Greater Washington and the city is home to Swahili Village, a restaurant featuring Kenyan staples like nyami choma, sukuma wiki, pilau, and samaki wa nazi.  This is also a city where locals can study the Swahili language (one of the main languages of Kenya); there are private schools and universities in Washington, D.C. that offer Swahili courses. 

The number of foreign visitors visiting Kenya has grown to more than 1.5 million people each year, with citizens of the United States helping propel that surge.  Some 220,000 Americans visit Kenya each year – more than those from any other country.  Residents of the Washington, D.C. metro area visit Kenya for African vacations, to pursue business opportunities, to visit family, or to participate in volunteer activities through non-profits and church groups.

Panama has been ranked as one of the world’s most appealing countries for retirees. Best known for the Panama Canal, the nation’s historic ties to the United States make the country a favorite destination for North Americans. Retirees are drawn to the country’s lush tropical environment, friendly locals, modern infrastructure, quality housing, modern healthcare, familiar American brands, and vibrant nightlight. Panama offers first-world amenities at affordable prices. Living costs average 25% lower than those in the United States, according to Numbeo (https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Panama). The laid-back environment is safe and secure, supported by a stable political environment and business-friendly policies that sustain a growing economy.

The Panamanian government encourages retirees and their families to take up residence at the junction of Central and South America through its Panama Pensionado program, one of the world’s most popular retirement programs. Publications such as Business Insider and International Living currently rank Panama as the world’s second-best countries for retirees globally, trailing only neighboring Costa Rica.

Atlanta has a population of over 6.3 million people, making it the 6th 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-highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country.  The metropolitan area includes the municipalities of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, Lithonia, Decatur, Mableton, and others.  Atlanta is a diverse and international city that in recent years has attracted a growing number of African immigrants, including those from Kenya.  The Atlanta metropolitan area has a population of nearly 20,000 Kenyan people and each year the community organizes the Atlanta Majuu Cultural Festival, an exhibition that celebrates the various tribes and cultures of Kenya.  Atlanta also has strong connections to Kenya through the numerous nonprofit groups and churches doing volunteer work throughout the country.  The University of Georgia has taught Swahili (the major language of Kenya) since 1998 and Georgia Tech now offers Swahili courses.

The number of foreign visitors visiting Kenya has grown to more than 1.5 million people each year, with citizens of the United States helping propel that surge.  Some 220,000 Americans visit Kenya each year – more than those from any other country.  Residents of the Atlanta area visit Kenya for African vacations, to pursue business opportunities, to visit family, or to participate in volunteer activities through non-profits and church groups.

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.  If Greater Los Angeles were its own country, it would be the 15th largest economy in the world (its GDP is about three times the GDP of Egypt).  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, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Burbank, Long Beach, Carson, Irvine, Anaheim, and Inglewood.  Los Angeles is one of the most multicultural cities on the planet and attracts people from all over the world, including immigrants from the Middle East.  There are an estimated 25,000 Egyptian immigrants in Greater Los Angeles and the state of California has the largest population of Arab Americans in the country.  Los Angeles and Southern California are home to a few nonprofit organizations representing the Egyptian immigrant community and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is one of the few universities in America to offer a graduate program in Egyptology (the study of ancient Egyptian history, religion, art, etc).