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.
一個把有技術的外國人送進美國頂級科技企業和大學的熱門簽證項目，或將留下數千個空缺。這在2003年以來還是第一次，顯示出經濟覆巢之下，高學歷專業人士的就業亦無完卵。
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.
這個名為“H-1B”的項目，一直以來就是硅谷和華爾街等地區的支柱。在這些地方，很多公司已經對來自印度的程序員或來自中國的工程師形成依賴。就在去年衰退襲來之際，企業界一天的時間就搶完了65,000個簽證名額。但到今年9月25日，在美國政府開始接受申請6個多月之后，僅提交了46,700份申請。
The numbers represent a sharp turnaround for a program that many companies had complained was too stingy with its visas.
這些數字表明，該簽證項目出現極大轉變。而以前很多公司還抱怨，簽證難求。
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.
不斷下滑的經濟使美國失業率升至9.8%，也阻礙了H-1B項目傳統上需求最大的科技行業的發展。舊金山公司移民律師朱莉·珀爾表示，至少1/3的客戶將H-1B簽證持有人的雇傭數量較一年前裁減了50%。她說：“從總體上看，大多數公司都削減了雇工人數。
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.
其它因素也有影響。接受聯邦援助資金的公司必須證明，它們已經盡力以普遍的薪水額雇傭美國籍的員工，而外國人沒有對美國公民形成擠出。這一規定使美國銀行等公司取消了向眾多外國人發出的聘用合約。
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.
外國人的讀研申請也減少了。研究生院協會的數據顯示，外國人申請2009年入讀提供博士項目的大學的數量，較一年前增加了5%，但最高學位為碩士的大學，申請數量下降了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，由于美國經濟的下滑，來自印度和中國的潛在移民也在本國不斷找到新的就業機會。
相關閱讀：
經濟危機余波未平 澳離婚率或大漲
經濟危機迫使美國老年人重返職場
委內瑞拉選美業難逃經濟危機影響
經濟危機致原料短缺 古巴廁紙告急
（來源：愛詞霸，英語點津編輯）
