01 美国将恢复受理工作签证

特朗普去年因疫情而发布的工作签证禁令已于本周三到期，美国国务院周四证实，将开始处理此前被暂停的签证的申请。

全文共406个词，By Aime Williams in Washington

The Biden administration will resume issuing visas to overseas workers after allowing a Trump-era ban to expire, in a further easing of coronavirus pandemic immigration restrictions.

在允许特朗普时代的一条禁令到期失效后，拜登（Biden）政府将恢复向海外员工发放工作签证，进一步放宽新冠疫情期间实行的移民限制。

Former president Donald Trump banned new issuances of worker visas commonly used by multinational businesses last year in a bid to force companies to hire American workers amid the pandemic, with unemployment levels having soared. That ban expired on Wednesday.

在失业率飙升的情况下，唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）去年禁止发放跨国企业常用的工作签证，以迫使企业在疫情期间雇佣美国工人。这一禁令已于周三到期。

The state department confirmed on Thursday that it would begin processing applications for the previously suspended visas, and asked people who had been rejected because of the presidential ban to reapply.

美国国务院周四证实，将开始处理此前被暂停的签证的申请，曾因总统禁令而被拒签的人可以重新申请。

It added, however, that US embassies and consulates were still only providing “mission critical” visa services, and they were being offered on a “post by post” basis.

然而，美国国务院补充称，美国大使馆和领事馆目前仍只提供“关键任务”（mission critical）签证服务，而且将以“逐个邮寄”的方式提供这些服务。

Trump’s visa ban affected a range of visas including categories J, which are used by au pairs, L and H-1B, which are widely used by big US tech groups. The ban was opposed by US business groups, who criticised it as harmful to the economy.

特朗普的签证禁令影响多类签证，包括互惠生J签证、L签证和被美国大型科技集团广泛使用的H-1B签证。这一禁令曾遭到美国企业团体的反对，批评其损害美国经济。

The US Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers sued the Trump administration over the ban, and won a temporary stay late last year to stop it from being enforced while the case proceeded. Lawyers said the decision applied only narrowly and the majority of companies were not benefiting from it.

美国商会（US Chamber of Commerce）和美国全国制造商协会（National Association of Manufacturers）就该禁令对特朗普政府提起诉讼，并于去年年底赢得了一道暂缓令，以阻止该禁令在案件审理期间强制执行。律师表示，这一决定仅适用于极少数公司，多数公司未能从中受益。

Immigration lawyers had called on Biden to actively rescind the worker visa ban, instead of simply allowing it to lapse. However, while the president has made immigration reform a legislative priority,his early moves focused on helping asylum seekers and refugees.

移民律师曾呼吁拜登主动废除工作签证禁令，而不只是容许禁令到期失效。然而，尽管拜登将移民改革作为优先立法事项，但他的早期行动集中在帮助寻求庇护者和难民上。

Early executive orders on immigration included halting the building of a border wall with Mexico and setting up a task force to reunite children and parents separated at the southern border.

有关移民事务的早期行政令包括停止修建美墨边境墙，以及成立一个特别工作组，致力让在南部边境失散的儿童与父母能够重新团聚。

Biden has recently been criticised by lawmakers for the number of children being held in US custody at the border after he suspended another Trump-era rule that allowed for the immediate expulsion of unaccompanied minors who crossed into the country.

拜登最近因美国边境上关押的儿童数量之多而受到国会议员的批评，他此前暂停了特朗普政府的另一项规定——根据该规定，可以立即驱逐越境进入美国的无人陪同的未成年人。

Last month, Biden reversed a Trump ban on the issuance of new green cards, saying that preventing lawful permanent residents from joining their families in the US was harmful to the country.

上个月，拜登撤销了特朗普禁止发放新绿卡的禁令，称禁止合法永久居民在美国与家人团聚对美国有害。

“It also harms industries in the United States that utilise talent from around the world,” Biden said.

拜登说：“这也损害了美国那些利用世界各地人才的行业。”

Despite the lapsing of the ban, travel bans related to Covid-19 remain in place, meaning most foreign people cannot travel to the US.

尽管工作签证禁令已到期失效，但与新冠疫情相关的旅行禁令仍在实施，意味着大多数外国人无法前往美国。