美国第二位联邦法官于9月30日叫停了美国总统唐纳德·特朗普针对高技能外籍工人的新H-1B签证征收的前所未有的10万美元（约12.77万新元）费用。
A second federal judge on Sept 30 blocked an unprecedented US$100,000 (S$127,700) fee that US President Donald Trump has imposed on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.
加利福尼亚州奥克兰的美国地区法官海伍德·吉利亚姆裁定，美国公民及移民服务局（USCIS）和国务院在实施特朗普的这项费用前，未遵循必要的规则制定程序。
US District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland, California, ruled that US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department failed to follow necessary rule-making processes before implementing Trump’s fee.
由时任总统、民主党人贝拉克·奥巴马任命的吉利亚姆法官，批准了工会、雇主和非营利组织组成的联盟的请求，禁止相关机构在诉讼结果出炉前实施特朗普的这项费用。该联盟于10月提起了诉讼。
Gilliam, appointed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, granted a request by a coalition of unions, employers and nonprofits to block the agencies from implementing Trump’s fee pending the outcome of a lawsuit they filed in October.
该费用曾于6月被波士顿的一位联邦法官在另一起由20个州提起的诉讼中暂时叫停。波士顿的联邦上诉法院于7月拒绝中止该决定。
The fee was temporarily blocked in June by a federal judge in Boston, ruling in a separate case brought by 20 states. A Boston-based appeals court in July declined to pause that decision.
国土安全部于8月着手采纳一项约10.3万美元的永久性费用，一旦最终确定，极可能面临法庭挑战。但这将涉及不同于针对特朗普设定费用诉讼的法律问题。这些诉讼的焦点在于总统是否有权单方面设定此类费用。
The Department of Homeland Security in August moved to adopt a permanent fee of about US$103,000 that, when finalised, will likely be challenged in court. But that will involve different legal issues than lawsuits over the fee set by Trump. These suits have focused on the president’s power to set such a fee unilaterally.
这项10万美元的费用原定于9月21日到期，但身为共和党人的特朗普最近将其延长了一年。白宫未立即回应置评请求。
The US$100,000 fee was originally set to expire Sept 21 but Trump, a Republican, recently extended it for another year The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
代表原告的左倾法律团体“捍卫民主前进会”在声明中欢迎该裁决。该组织律师史蒂夫·布雷斯勒表示：“今天的裁决……保护了一个一夜之间陷入混乱的体系。”
Democracy Forward, a left-leaning legal group that represents the plaintiffs, applauded the ruling in a statement. “Today’s decision ... protects a system that was thrown into chaos overnight,” said Steve Bressler, a lawyer with the group.
美国商会作为该国最大的商业游说团体，已提起第三起诉讼挑战该费用。商会正在上诉一名法官驳回其主张的决定，该主张认为特朗普无权设定该费用。
The US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business lobbying group, has filed a third lawsuit challenging the fee. The chamber is appealing a judge’s decision rejecting its claims that Trump had no authority to set the fee.
H-1B计划允许美国雇主雇佣在专业领域受过培训的外籍工人。科技公司尤其严重依赖获得H-1B签证的工人。
The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign workers with training in specialty fields. Technology companies in particular rely heavily on workers who receive H-1B visas.
该计划每年提供65,000个签证，另为拥有高级学位的工人额外提供20,000个签证，有效期为三至六年。
The programme offers 65,000 visas annually, with another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, approved for three to six years.
特朗普的命令大幅提高了获得H-1B签证的成本，此前通常需要约2,000至5,000美元的费用，具体取决于各种因素。
Trump’s order sharply raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas, which had typically come with about US$2,000 to US$5,000 in fees, depending on various factors.
在征收费用时，特朗普援引联邦移民法赋予总统的权力，限制有损美国利益的某些外国公民入境。他表示，企业滥用H-1B计划，用更廉价的外国劳工取代美国工人。
In imposing the fee, Trump invoked the president’s power under federal immigration law to restrict the entry of certain foreign nationals that would be detrimental to US interests. He said businesses had abused the H-1B programme and replaced American workers with cheaper foreign labour.
特朗普政府还下令加强对H-1B申请人的审查，并提议采用新的签证筛选流程，以青睐技能更高、薪资更优的工人。
The Trump administration has also ordered enhanced vetting of H-1B applicants and proposed a new visa selection process that would favour higher-skilled and better-paid workers.