PASSPORTS AND VISAS 101

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 “Gateway to Latin America”.  The Bolivian American Chamber of Commerce has an office located in Miami and Boliviana de Aviación (the national airline of Bolivia) offers nonstop flights from Miami International Airport to Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s commercial center and most economically prosperous city.  There are a few thousand Bolivians in South Florida and there are even a few Bolivian restaurants in the area where residents of Miami can enjoy the unique cuisine of Bolivia such as salteñas, sopa de mani, silpancho, and falso conejo, along with Paceña and Huari (Bolivian beer).  Spanish is the main language of Bolivia (and arguably the main language of Miami).

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, including Quechua, one of the official languages of Bolivia.  The city is also home to the Quechua Collective of New York, an organization promoting and preserving this ancient language still spoke by 10 million people in Bolivia and other countries.  There are an estimated 10,000 Bolivians living in the New York metropolitan area, concentrated mostly in Queens and northeastern New Jersey.

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, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Burbank, Glendale, Pomona, Torrance, Long Beach, Irvine, Anaheim, and Inglewood.  Los Angeles has the largest population of Hispanic people in the United States and has over 3.7 million residents with Mexican heritage.  There are also nearly a million people with ethnic origins from Central America, but only about 125,000 people whose origins come from South America.  There are an estimated 10,000 immigrants and U.S. citizens with Bolivian heritage in Los Angeles, making this city the third largest community of Bolivian immigrants and Bolivian-Americans in the United States.  The city of Anaheim (28 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles) has a Bolivian restaurant serving salteñas, pique macho, silpancho, sopa de maní, chairo, humintas, monconchinchi and several other favorites dishes and traditional drinks of Bolivia.

Estudantes internacionais, empresários e outros recém-chegados do exterior à área metropolitana de Dallas-Fort Worth podem fazer uso das oportunidades locais para melhorarem suas habilidades na língua inglesa ou se prepararem para estudar nos EUA mediante inscrição em um dos diversos programas e cursos de língua da região.

Conhecidos como ESL (English as a Second Language, ou Inglês como Segunda Língua) ou ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages, ou Inglês para Falantes de Outras Línguas), esses programas auxiliam estudantes e outros que não sejam falantes nativos da língua inglesa a adquirirem ou aprimorarem seus conhecimentos antes de iniciarem uma faculdade ou ingressarem em seu local de trabalho nos EUA. Há uma grande variedade de programas ESL disponíveis. Alguns constituem aulas de revisão para estudantes e profissionais que aprenderam inglês em seus países de origem. Essas aulas focam em variações estadunidenses de pronúncia, vocabulário e verbalização. Outras aulas oferecem uma introdução básica da língua àqueles que falam pouco ou nada de inglês. Os cursos podem também preparar os alunos para o TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), exame requisitado por muitas instituições de ensino superior dos EUA na admissão de falantes não-nativos do inglês.

Các sinh viên quốc tế, những nhà quản lý doanh nghiệp hay những du khách nước ngoài mới đến khu đô thị Dallas- Forth Worth có thể tận dụng những cơ hội sẵn có trong khu vực để cải thiện kĩ năng tiếng Anh của mình hoặc chuẩn bị cho việc học tập lâu dài tại Mĩ chỉ bằng một việc đơn giản là đăng kí vào một trong những khóa học và chương trình giảng dạy ngôn ngữ của khu vực.

Được mọi người biết đến với tên gọi là ESL (Viết tắt của English as a Second Language – Chương trình đào tạo tiếng Anh như ngôn ngữ thứ hai) hay ESOL (viết tắt của English for Speakers of Other Languages- Chương trình đào tạo tiếng Anh cho người nói những ngôn ngữ khác), những chương trình đào tạo này giúp cho các sinh viên và những người không phải là người bản ngữ có thể đạt được hoặc nâng cao những kỹ năng sẵn có của mình trước khi họ bắt đầu học tập hoặc làm việc tại Hoa Kỳ. Các chương trình đào tạo ESL rất đa dạng. Một số chương trình là đào tạo nâng cao, đây là chương trình dành cho những người đã học tiếng Anh tại đất nước của mình trước khi sang Mỹ. Các lớp học này sẽ tập trung giảng dạy cách phát âm và các biến thể trong tiếng Anh của người Mỹ, giảng dạy về từ vựng, thành ngữ và cách diễn đạt thành lời nói. Ngoài ra còn có những khóa học khác giảng dạy tiếng Anh cơ bản dành cho những người mới biết nói một chút hoặc chưa biết nói tiếng Anh. Còn có những khóa học giúp các sinh viên luyện thi để lấy chứng chỉ TOEFL (Bài kiểm tra năng lực tiếng Anh Quốc Tế - sử dụng tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ), đây là chứng chỉ ngoại ngữ mà rất nhiều trường Đại học và Cao đẳng ở Mỹ yêu cầu đối với các sinh viên mà tiếng Anh không phải tiếng mẹ đẻ của họ.

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 locally as DMV)—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. is one of America’s most culturally diverse metropolitan areas, so American people living here don’t have to venture too far to learn about different parts of the world.  For example, there are over 100,000 Bolivians living in DMV and there are over 20 Bolivian restaurants in Northern Virginia.  This area is home to several organizations that preserve and promote Bolivian culture such as La Fraternidad Diablada Boliviana, and other groups that celebrate Bolivian folkloric dance traditions.  There are also Bolivian soccer leagues, Bolivian community newspapers, and schools that teach Bolivian culture and language to children in Norhern Virginia.  

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, Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, Lithonia, Decatur, Mableton, Conyers and others.  There are an estimated 12,500 Canadians living in Atlanta and the city is home to a social club (Atlanta Canadians) that occasionally hosts events for Canadians in the metro area.  Canada is a popular tourist destination for residents of Atlanta and Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has direct flights to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Canada is also a frequent destination for business travelers from Atlanta.  Canada is the top customer for Georgia companies, with $5.1 billion worth of exports each year and the state imports $4.3 billion worth of goods from Canada annually.   There are 274 Canadian-owned businesses employing nearly 35,000 workers in Georgia.

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 companies that have been relocating to the area from other parts of the country.  Dallas has a growing population of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, including a small community of immigrants from The Gambia.  The city is home to the Gambian Texas Association, a nonprofit organization that hosts social events to help strengthen the Gambian community.  Dallas also has social groups for the Mandinka people, one of the major ethnic groups of Gambia.  The city of Saginaw (west of Dallas) is sister cities with Banjul (Gambia’s capital). 

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, Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, Lithonia, Decatur, Mableton, Conyers, and others.  Atlanta has become an extremely diverse and international city that includes a growing number of immigrants from Latin America.  There are over 600,000 Latino people living in the Atlanta metro area, however, only about 1,000 of these residents originally came from Bolivia.  Although Bolivia is one of the least visited countries in Latin America, it is perhaps one of the most interesting destinations in the region to explore.  Atlanta residents travel to Bolivia for a variety of reasons, including for tourism, volunteering, study abroad, and business.  Spanish is one of the official languages of Bolivia and there are plenty of schools in Atlanta offering beginner and advanced courses for adults.

UPDATED April 4, 2022

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 metro area includes the towns of Arvada, Castle Rock, Centennial, Lakewood, Littleton, Thornton, Westminster, and Aurora.  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 large and mid-size companies, making the city an attractive job market for people in other parts of the country that may be considering a change of scenery.  In the past decade, as Denver’s healthcare, financial services, electronics, aerospace, and biotechnology sectors continue to expand, there has been an uptick in the number of Indian immigrants moving to the region to seize new job opportunities.  Denver is now home to several Indian cultural organizations, including the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Rockies where the local community can enjoy Indian celebrations such as Diwali.