PASSPORTS AND VISAS 101

Greater Boston is the eleventh-most populous metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 4.9 million people, and includes towns such as Cambridge, Brookline, Quincy, Brockton, Lynn, Newton, Waltham, and Medford.  Boston is one of America’s oldest cities and has a rich history that attracts over 20 million tourists each year.  Known as the “intellectual capital of the United States”, Boston is a center of education that has more than 350,000 college students from around the world.  There are an estimated 20,000 Koreans living in Greater Boston, many of them students attending Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Boston College, Wellesley College, Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Boston, Tufts University, and others.  Apart from the multiple Korean student associations in the area, there are also other organizations like the Korean Cultural Society of Boston that promote Korean music, literature, and visual arts.  Although there is no official Koreatown in Boston, the Allston neighborhood has popular Korean chains like Bonchon, Tous les Jour, H Mart and many other Korean restaurants and markets.  Korea is easily accessible from Boston thanks to nonstop service to Seoul-Incheon (ICN) on Korean Air.  

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 U.S. and there are many more firms relocating here from other parts of the country.  DFW is also the corporate headquarters for many international firms, including Korean companies like Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai, and Hyosung.  Korean Air and American Airlines both have nonstop flights from Dallas (DFW) to Seoul-Incheon (ICN), adding to the convenience of the nearly 100,000 Korean people that call North Texas home.  There are thousands of Korean small businesses in this region, many of them centered around New Koreatown in Carrollton. 

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 slightly less than the GDP of Indonesia).  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.  There are an estimated 350,000 Korean people in Greater Los Angeles and the city is home to the largest and most famous Koreatown in the world.  There are also large Korean communities located in northern Orange County (in the cities of Buena Park and Fullerton) and the San Fernando Valley.  Koreatown in Los Angeles is well known for having the best Korean restaurants in the country and is a lively part of the city with many Korean owned businesses and nightlife venues.   

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, Hayward, Berkeley, Vallejo, Concord, Pleasanton, Fremont, San Jose, San Mateo, Palo Alto, Sausalito, and San Rafael.  The economy of the Bay Area is one of the most vigorous and entrepreneurial on the planet.  Silicon Valley (in the southern part of the Bay Area) has attracted engineers from all over the world, including those from Korea.  Some of the first Koreans to arrive to San Francisco came through Angel Island Immigration Station starting in 1910.  Today there are nearly 100,000 Koreans in the Bay Area.  Koreatowns are located in Santa Clara and Oakland, and there are several schools where Bay Area residents can study the Korean language.  San Francisco has a sister city relationship with Seoul—South’s Korea capital and largest city—and the two cities are connected through nonstop flights on Korean Air and United Airlines.

Australia’s working holiday visa programs offer young Americans unique opportunities to live and work for up to three years in the Land Down Under. “Digital nomads” -- remote employees currently working from home or overseas – and university students ages 18-30 can apply for the program. 

Unlike other countries that introduced digital nomad programs to boost tourism during the pandemic, Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) temporary visa program was suspended during the COVID-19 crisis. WHM began in 1975 to encourage young people from Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom to spend a year working and touring the commonwealth. It has since grown to dozens to countries and hundreds of thousands of participants. During 2017 and 2018, more than 170,000 WHM applications were granted each year, including more than 2,100 WHM visas for U.S. citizens. 

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and is the largest city in the Mountain Time Zone.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area has a population of 4.8 million—the tenth largest metropolitan area in the United States—and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  New residents and businesses come here for the low cost of living and year-round warm weather.  Phoenix gets more sunshine than any other major city on the planet.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area, also known as the Valley, includes the cities of Casa Grande, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Maricopa, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe.  The Valley has a strong base of semiconductor, electronics, and aerospace manufacturers.  Real estate, construction, healthcare, financial services, and tourism are also major components of the Phoenix economy, which has over 200 golf courses, 500 hotels, and 40 resorts.  The Korean immigrant community in Phoenix is not huge, however, the city is home several Korean churches and other nonprofit organizations like the Arizona Korean Association, which offers cultural events and language courses.  Phoenix has several Korean restaurants and grocery stores, including an H Mart located in Mesa.  There is also an online community newspaper—The Korean Arizona Times. 

San Diego is America’s 17th-most populous city and is the third-most populous urban area in the state of California.  This metropolis of 3.3 million residents shares a 15-mile border with Mexico, where just to the other side sits Tijuana—Mexico’s sixth-most populous city (and an important city for Korean manufacturers that have invested in factories along the border).  About 200,000 people cross the border each day, making this one of the busiest land borders in the world.  San Diego is well known for its mild Mediterranean climate that attracts over 35 million visitors each year.  This is a beach city that has nearly year-round perfect weather, plenty of scenic vistas, and miles of spectacular coastline that includes La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Coronado Beach, and Imperial Beach.  The San Diego metropolitan area includes cities such as Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, San Marcos, Santee, La Mesa, National City, Oceanside, Vista, and Encinitas.  The Convoy District in Kearney Mesa is known as San Diego’s cultural district for all things Asian and has dozens of Korean restaurants and markets.  Korean immigrants and Korean Americans, however, are scattered all throughout San Diego and there are over 50 Korean churches in the metropolitan area.    

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada and 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 and neighborhoods.  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 the city on any given day.  Las Vegas is known as “America’s Playground” and is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 42 million visitors a year.  The city also hosts over 20,000 annual conventions, meetings, and trade shows each year.  The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is an important event for Korean companies, which typically send nearly 400 exhibitors to the show each year.  There are only few thousand Korean immigrants in Las Vegas, however, the population is growing quickly as more people move to the area from California in search of new business opportunities and lower housing costs. 

Seattle is the largest city in America’s Pacific Northwest region and is 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 along the Puget Sound, surrounded by evergreen forests, mountains, and water.  The Seattle metropolitan area is the headquarters of 11 Fortune 500 companies including famous consumer brands like Nordstrom, Costco, Amazon, Microsoft, and Starbucks.  The Seattle metropolitan area includes the cities of Tacoma, Bellevue, Kent, Everett, Renton, Kirkland, and Redmond.  With over 60,000 Korean people throughout the state of Washington, Seattle and the Puget Sound region has strong connections with South Korea.  Seattle has a sister city with relationship with Daejeon, Korea’s 5^th largest city.  Korea is an important market for Seattle area businesses (there are over 1,500 Starbucks locations in Korea and 16 Costco stores) and is a transportation for cargo ships and airlines like Delta and Korean Air.  Korean communities are concentrated in the towns of Lynwood, Federal Way, Shoreline, and Lakewood, but there are Koreans living all throughout the Seattle metro area.

Denver, known as the “Mile High City” because of its elevation of 5,280 feet, is the capital of Colorado and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  The Denver Metropolitan area is the 19th most populous metro area in the U.S. and has a population approaching three million people.  The region’s growing and diverse economy—along with its proximity to Rocky Mountain ski resorts—make Denver an attractive destination for people seeking a more active and balanced lifestyle.  Denver has a diverse economy and strong foundation of Fortune 500 companies operating in various industries such as healthcare, financial services, media, apparel, electronics, mining, aerospace, energy, and food and beverage.  The Denver Metropolitan area includes the towns of Arvada, Castle Rock, Centennial, Lakewood, Littleton, Thornton, Westminster, and Aurora.   Denver has a thriving Korean community that is centered around Aurora, which has a sister city agreement with Seongnam, in South Korea.  Aurora is home to many Korean restaurants, churches, bakeries, and grocery stores—including an H Mart (there is another location in Westminster).  There is also a Korean school—the Korean Academy of Colorado—that welcomes all local residents to learn about Korean language and culture.