M: Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.
E: And I’m Erica.
M: And today we’re gonna be talking about a very special topic.
E: That’s right. This topic was actually suggested by one of our listeners.
M: Exactly, so, keep those comments coming, because we want to create lessons that you need, that you want.
E: Exactly.
M: So, what are we talking about today?
E: Today’s lesson is about applying for a visa.
M: Very, very important topic.
E: Yes, and specifically it’s about, uh, visa interview.
M: Exactly, as you all probably know when you apply for a visa, especially for the US…
E: Uhu.
M: You have an interview.
E: Yes.
M: Where you have to answer some questions.
E: Yes.
M: And that’ what we’re gonna be talking about today. So, before we jump into the dialogue, let’s take a look at “vocabulary preview”.
Voice: Vocabulary preview.
M: Okay, so, let’s talk about visa.
E: Right, a visa, it’s not a credit card.
M: No, not Visa or MasterCard.
E: No, so, a visa is an official document that you get in your passport that allows you to travel legally to a country.
M: Exactly, so, with this document you can go into a country.
E: Uhu.
M: Okay, so, we have different types of visas. Today, we’re gonna be talking about a B2 visa.
E: Right, a B2 visa is a tourist visa.
M: A tourist visa.
E: Yeah.
M: This is only for the United States; other countries may have different classifications for their visas, but B2 is for the United States.
E: Right. So, Marco, we use a tourist visa when we want to be a tourist and just travel in the US. What about a resident visa?
M: Well, you can have a temporary resident visa.
E: Uhu.
M: Like, for example, an F1.
E: Yep.
M: An F1 is for foreign exchange students.
E: Yeah.
M: Who go and live in the States maybe for a year or do, uh, MBA for two years or three years.
E: Uhu.
M: So, that’s an F1 visa. You can also get a J1 visa.
E: Yeah.
M: Which is a temporary exchange visitor.
E: Okay.
M: So, it could be to maybe do some temporary work for two or three months and then go back to your country.
E: So, basically a resident visa allows you to live in that country.
M: Yeah, you can live in that country legally for a determine time. Okay, so, let’s listen to our dialogue. Where are we gonna be exactly?
E: In this dialogue we’re gonna hear two people: a visa officer and a person, who’s applying for the visa. Now, the person, who’s applying for the visa, has an accent, right?
M: Yes.
E: But this is really good practice for helping you to understand people with different accents.
M: Exactly. So, let’s listen to the dialogue and then we’ll come back and explain all the great vocabulary. ------------------------------------------------------------- DIALOGUE, FIRST TIME A: So, you're applying for a B2 visa, where is your final destination and what's the purpose of your trip to the United States?
B: I'm going to visit my brother; he's just had a baby. He lives in Minneapolis.
A: And how long do you you plan to remain in the United States?
B: I'll be here for approximately three weeks. See, here's my return ticket for the twenty-sixth of March.
A: And, who is sponsoring your trip?
B: My brother, here, this is an invitation letter from him. I will stay with him and his family in their home.
A: Alright, tell me about the ties you have to your home country.
B: Well, I own a house; actually, I'm leaving my dog there with my neighbors. I have a car at home, and oh, my job! I'm employed by Tornel as an engineer. Actually, I only have three weeks' vacation, so I have to go back to work at the end of March.