H-1B签证失宠美国高端行业就业难-英语点津

For the first time since 2003, a coveted visa program that feeds skilled foreigners to some of the US' top-tier technology companies and universities is on track to leave thousands of spots unfilled, a sign of how the economy has eroded employment even among highly trained professionals.

一个把有技术的外国人送进美国顶级科技企业和大学的热门签证项目，或将留下数千个空缺。这在2003年以来还是第一次，显示出经济覆巢之下，高学历专业人士的就业亦无完卵。

The program, known as H-1B, has been a mainstay of places such as Silicon Valley and Wall Street, where many companies have come to depend on computer programmers from India or engineers from China. Last year, even as the recession began to bite, companies snapped up the 65,000 visas available in just one day. This year, however, as of Sept. 25, more than six months after the U.S. government began accepting applications, only 46,700 petitions had been filed.

这个名为“H-1B”的项目，一直以来就是硅谷和华尔街等地区的支柱。在这些地方，很多公司已经对来自印度的程序员或来自中国的工程师形成依赖。就在去年衰退袭来之际，企业界一天的时间就抢完了65,000个签证名额。但到今年9月25日，在美国政府开始接受申请6个多月之后，仅提交了46,700份申请。

The numbers represent a sharp turnaround for a program that many companies had complained was too stingy with its visas.

这些数字表明，该签证项目出现极大转变。而以前很多公司还抱怨，签证难求。

The sagging economy, which has pushed U.S. unemployment to 9.8%, has crimped expansion in the technology sector, traditionally the biggest user of the H-1B program. Julie Pearl, a corporate immigration lawyer in San Francisco, said that at least a third of her clients have dropped their hiring of H-1B visa holders by 50% from a year ago. "Most companies just aren't hiring as many people in general," she said.

不断下滑的经济使美国失业率升至9.8%，也阻碍了H-1B项目传统上需求最大的科技行业的发展。旧金山公司移民律师朱莉·珀尔表示，至少1/3的客户将H-1B签证持有人的雇佣数量较一年前裁减了50%。她说：“从总体上看，大多数公司都削减了雇工人数。

Other factors have also contributed. Companies that receive federal bailout funds must prove they have tried to recruit American workers at prevailing wages and that foreigners aren't replacing U.S. citizens. That regulation caused Bank of America Corp. (BAC), among others, to rescind job offers to dozens of foreigners.

其它因素也有影响。接受联邦援助资金的公司必须证明，它们已经尽力以普遍的薪水额雇佣美国籍的员工，而外国人没有对美国公民形成挤出。这一规定使美国银行等公司取消了向众多外国人发出的聘用合约。

Graduate-school applications from foreigners have also slowed. Foreigners' applications for 2009 admissions to universities that offer doctoral programs rose 5% from a year earlier, but foreigners' applications declined 17% at universities that offer a master's as their highest degree, according to the Council of Graduate Schools.

外国人的读研申请也减少了。研究生院协会的数据显示，外国人申请2009年入读提供博士项目的大学的数量，较一年前增加了5%，但最高学位为硕士的大学，申请数量下降了17%。

In addition, as the U.S. economy sags, would-be immigrants from India and China are finding new career opportunities in their own countries.

此外，由于美国经济的下滑，来自印度和中国的潜在移民也在本国不断找到新的就业机会。