You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Welcome back to Business English Pod.
Today is the second in our series on business trips.
In these episodes we'll be following an employee of a large technology company on a training trip to the US.
In our last show Alan, the main character in our story, and Ernesto, his colleague, had just left Hong Kong for San Francisco.
There they will go through immigration, collect their bags and change planes to Michigan, which is where their company Ambient, is headquartered.
Immigration is the process you follow to enter a foreign country.
So in today's episode you'll learn helpful vocabulary and phrases you can use when you enter the US or other countries.
Okay, let's join Onesto and Alan back on their flight.
After many hours, they're close to landing in San Francisco.
When Onesto comes back from the lavatory that's the toilet on an airplane he finds some forms on his seat.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
As usual, the answers will be posted in a few days on our website.
First, what is an I-94 form?
Second, how much money can you bring into the U.S.?
Third, where does Alan want to go sightseeing?
And finally, what does Alan mean by just pulling your leg?
What's this?
An I-94 and a customs declaration form.
Will they collect these documents?
At the airport.
The declaration form goes to customs and the I-94 is a kind of landing card, a record of your entry for immigration.
They will stamp how long you can stay and staple it to your passport.
Whatever you do, don't lose it.
Okay.
Should we fill them out?
Yeah.
Might as well get it done now.
What's this, things to be declared?
That refers to items you have to pay duty on.
Duty?
It's a kind of tax on stuff you plan to take in and leave there.
You don't have to declare anything under $100.
How about money?
Let's see.
It says you can bring up to $10,000 without declaring it.
Not a problem for me.
Passport, please.
What's the purpose of your trip?
I'm here to attend a training meeting in Michigan for my company, Ambient.
This is my invitation letter.
Okay.
What places do you plan to visit in the U.S.?
Let's see.
I think we're going to take a weekend trip down to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Otherwise, I will be hard at work the whole time in Michigan.
What will be the duration of your stay?
Two months.
I fly back on August 15th.
Okay.
Have a nice stay in America.
Thanks.
How'd it go?
No problems.
How about you?
Great.
Where do we collect our bags?
There's a sign over there that says, baggage claim area.
That must be it.
Okay, let's get out of here.
Where do we go?
We can just go through that line over there that says, nothing to declare.
Will they check us?
I don't think they'll check me, but they might check you.
Why?
You look a little suspicious.
Really?
No, just pulling your leg.
Come on.
What do you think?
Will the customs official check Onesto's bags?
Customs is the control of the movement of goods across a country's border.
How about immigration?
That refers to the control of people's movement across a border.
Both terms can also refer to government departments.
What were the steps Allen and Onesto followed to get through customs and immigration?
Let's go back through the dialogue.
What's this?
A 994 and a customs declaration form.
Will they collect these documents?
At the airport.
When Onesto gets back from the lavatory.
The flight attendants have already passed out these forms for people to fill in before the plane lands.
As Alan explains, the declaration form goes to customs.
To declare means to announce.
So a declaration is an announcement of goods you are taking into the country that you plan to sell or leave there.
As Alan explains, when you enter the US, you are allowed to take up to 100 worth of things without making a declaration.
In this case, you fill in nothing to declare.
On anything more than $100, you have to pay duty or tax.
You're also allowed to take up to 10000 in cash which, as Onesto explains, is not a problem for him.
Let's look at some other sentences using declare and declaration.
Do you have anything to declare?
I have nothing to declare.
Please give your customs declaration form to the customs officer standing over there.
Before you enter the US, you need to make a declaration of any funds of 10000 or over that you are carrying with you.
What about the I-94?
As Alan says, this is a kind of landing card or record of your entry for immigration.
What else does he say?
They will stamp how long you can stay and staple it to your passport.
Whatever you do, don't lose it.
To stamp is to use ink to make an impression on paper.
In this case, the immigration officer stamps on your I-94 how long you can stay in the US based on the information you give them.
What about staple?
This is that small piece of metal, a metal clip, that we use to hold papers together.
This is different than a paper clip, which you can remove with your hand.
A staple actually punches two small holes through the papers and has to be removed with a special tool.
Okay.
Should we fill them out?
Yeah.
Might as well get it done now.
Might as well means, since there is no reason not to, let's go ahead and do it.
It's a very useful oral English expression.
Let's look at some more examples of might as well.
It's getting late and I don't think Cindy is going to come.
We might as well go home.
Come on, go over and talk to her.
You might as well give it a try.
You have nothing to lose.
Well, since we're in Disneyland, we might as well take our picture with Mickey Mouse.
In the next phase of their arrival in the US, Alan and Ernesto have to pass through immigrations or immigrate.
In common talk, the verb to immigrate usually refers to moving somewhere permanently.
But in official speech, it's also used to mean visiting a foreign country temporarily.
However, the noun immigrant, a person who immigrates, always means a new citizen, someone who settles in a foreign country to live.
Let's listen again to Alan going through immigration.
Passport, please.
What's the purpose of your trip?
I'm here to attend a training meeting in Michigan for my company, Ambient.
This is my invitation letter.
Okay.
What places do you plan to visit in the U.S.?
?
Purpose of trip and places you will visit are two of the main standard questions that you can expect to hear from a US immigration officer.
Sometimes they're very friendly and say, How are you doing?
As you know, in the U.S., this is a greeting, and you should say, Fine, thanks.
How about you?
Other officers will sometimes say, Welcome to America, and you can say, Thanks.
Alan provides good, concise answers to the officers' questions.
He's got his letter of invitation ready and knows about his plans.
It's good to do your homework and prepare your answers in advance.
Let's listen some more.
What will be the duration of your stay?
Two months.
I fly back on August 15th.
Okay.
Have a nice stay in America.
Thanks.
Duration of stay is the third typical question a U.S. immigration officer will ask you.
It may seem like a small thing, but it's very important that you get it right.
My advice is not to be vague or unclear by saying something like one month.
Give the officer a specific date you will be leaving and perhaps Even show him your return airplane ticket so they get it right.
If they stamp your I-94 August 14th but you're leaving August 15th, technically you have overstayed and you may not be able to return to the US for many years.
After they pass through immigration, Alan and Onesto meet up again.
How'd it go?
No problems.
How about you?
Great.
Where do we collect our bags?
There's a sign over there that says, baggage claim area.
That must be it.
No problems is a great informal way to say that everything went smoothly.
Let's look at some other spoken English expressions and idioms that mean everything went well.
It was a-okay.
It went great.
A piece of cake.
It was easy as one, two, three.
Easy as pie.
It was smooth sailing all the way.
How about baggage claim area?
That's the place you claim or pick up your bags.
What happens after Alan and Onesto get all their luggage?
Allen says that they can both go through the line.
That says nothing to declare, because neither one of them has anything over 100.
Since this is his first time to the States, Onesto wonders what will happen.
Will they check us?
I don't think they'll check me, but they might check you.
Why?
You look a little suspicious.
Really?
No, just pulling your leg.
Come on.
What does suspicious mean?
It's an adjective that refers to people who raise doubts in your mind.
People who seem a little bit untrustworthy or maybe even dangerous.
It can also describe people who do not trust or believe others.
In this meaning, it can be used with the preposition of.
For example...
Because I came home very late every night for a week, my wife was a little suspicious of me.
Well, Alan is actually teasing Onesto a little bit.
He doesn't really think Onesto looks suspicious.
He's just joking with him or pulling his leg.
Interestingly enough, this idiom comes from 18th and 19th century London, when thieves would work in groups of two.
One would cause you to fall down by tripping you or pulling your leg, while the other would grab your money and run.
But these days, it just means having a joke with somebody.
Okay, let's practice.
It's your turn to go through immigrations.
Imagine you're visiting the US for a training.
After the beep, answer the officer's questions clearly and concisely.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a try.
Passport, please.
Thanks.
What is the purpose of your stay?
Okay.
What places do you plan to visit in the U.S.?
?
How long will you be staying in the U.S.?
Thank you.
Welcome to America.
Now, listen to an example answer to compare.
Passport please.
Thanks.
What is the purpose of your stay?
I'm attending a training for my company in Michigan.
Here is my letter of invitation.
Okay.
What places do you plan to visit in the U.S.?
I'm planning to take a quick weekend trip to Disneyland in Los Angeles.
For the rest of the time, I'll be working in Michigan.
How long will you be staying in the U.S.?
Two months in all until August 15th.
Thank you.
Welcome to America.
How'd you do?
You can always rewind and try it again.
Try substituting different names, places, and language to build fluency.
All right, that about does it for today's show.
This was the second in a series on business travel.
We learned useful vocabulary and language for going through immigration and customs, some great tips and some useful phrases and idioms along the way.
Thanks again for listening and see you again soon at Business English Pod.
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