A welcome team
Named people in your city who answer within days, not a form that disappears into an inbox.
United Africans in America
You shouldn't have to figure out America alone.
The hardest part of the journey isn’t the work. It’s the isolation, and not knowing who to ask. UAIA connects African families to a real chapter in their city.
1,400 +
Members nationwide
8
City chapters
310 +
Soft landings supported
36 hrs
Median first reply
The Hub
Wherever you are in the journey, start there.
Every guide, contact and clinic is filed under one of three stages, so you are never reading advice meant for someone five years ahead of you.
Survival
Newcomer
Getting started, and getting stable. A Social Security number, a driver's licence, school enrolment, a bank account, and somewhere to live that will take you without US credit.
Success
Established Resident
Improving how you live. Buying a first home, understanding the tax system, getting a degree from home recognised, and finding better work than the job you took to get started.
Legacy
Entrepreneur and Professional
Building something that outlasts you. Starting or scaling a business, investing, protecting what you own, and mentoring the people arriving behind you.
What membership gives you
Not a group chat. A working support system.
Every chapter says on its own page exactly what it can do, so you know what you are getting before you arrive rather than after.
A vetted directory
Realtors, immigration attorneys, tax preparers, mechanics and African groceries, all checked by members who used them.
People a step ahead
Matched with someone who arrived three years before you and did the exact thing you are trying to do.
Things to show up to
Monthly meets, welcome dinners, business clinics and family days.
The Soft Landing
Tell us you're coming. We'll be ready.
If you are relocating from Africa, send your city and your arrival date. Your chapter welcome team gets it before you board.
- 01 A welcome call before you fly, covering what to pack, what to expect and what not to pay for.
- 02 Airport pickup and a first week that doesn't start in a hotel lobby alone.
- 03 The first month checklist: SSN, phone line, bank, licence, school and insurance, in the order that actually works.
- 04 An introduction to three members in your line of work before your first month ends.
Where we are
Rooted in Texas. Open to every state.
UAIA is a national network. Texas is where the chapters run today, and the map fills in as members start chapters in their own cities.
- Open
- Forming
- Opening soon
- Open to a founding member
0Open chapters
0Forming
0States with a chapter
0States still open
Chapters
View the full map → Find the city you're landing in.
Each chapter runs its own site, welcome team and calendar. Pick yours, or start the one that is missing in your city.
Killeen Area
Open
Killeen AreaFlagship
Killeen · Temple · Fort Cavazos · Belton · Copperas Cove
ks.uainamerica.org
Join this chapter
Austin Area
Open
Austin Area
Austin · Round Rock · Georgetown · Pflugerville · Bastrop
aus.uainamerica.org
Join this chapter
Houston Area
Open
Houston Area
Houston · The Woodlands · Katy · Sugar Land
hs.uainamerica.org
Join this chapter
Dallas Area
Forming
Dallas Area
Dallas · Fort Worth · Arlington · Plano · Frisco
ds.uainamerica.org
Help start it
San Antonio Area
Forming
San Antonio Area
San Antonio · New Braunfels · Fredericksburg · Boerne
sas.uainamerica.org
Help start it
College Station
Opening soon
College Station
College Station · Bryan · Caldwell
css.uainamerica.org
Register interest
San Marcos Area
Opening soon
San Marcos Area
San Marcos · Kyle · Buda
sms.uainamerica.org
Register interest
Your city isn't listed? If there are ten of you in it, there's a chapter in it. Any state, any city. We give you the playbook, the site and the backing.
Start a chapter →Life in the chapters
See all photos → This is what the help actually looks like.
Welcome dinners, business clinics, airport runs, family days. Photographed by members, shared with permission.
Every photograph here is published with the written consent of the people in it.
The heart behind the hub
The hardest part of the American journey isn't the work. It's the isolation, and the lack of reliable information.
UAIA began as Killeen Social, a local effort to make sure no African family had to navigate life here alone. But the need was bigger than one city.
The Founder
Founder, UAIA u00b7 Killeen Social Flagship Chapter
Guides
Browse the Hub → Answers written by people who've done it.
Plain guides for the things that stall everyone in their first three years. Free to read, no account needed.
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
Read the guide →Voices
What it's worth, from people who used it.
Join UAIA
Somebody helped us. This is how we pass it on.
Membership is free and always will be. Tell us your city, and your chapter will find you.