Wall Street banks and tech companies big and small were scrambling on Saturday to figure out how their tens of thousands of employees would be affected by President Trump’s proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee for visas granted to skilled foreign workers.

上周六，特朗普总统宣布对技术型外籍雇员签证征收10万美元费用的消息令华尔街的银行以及大小科技公司陷入忙乱，针对此事将如何影响成千上万的员工进行事态评估。

The change set off immediate confusion over the exact rules and how they would be enforced. Shortly after Mr. Trump signed the proclamation on Friday, employees at Microsoft, Amazon and JPMorgan received notices advising those with H-1B visas who were outside the United States to return before the new rules take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday.

这一政策变动立刻引发了关于具体细则及执行方式的困惑。上周五特朗普签署公告后不久，微软、亚马逊和摩根大通的员工立即收到通知，建议持H-1B签证且目前身处美国境外的员工在新规生效前（美东时间上周日晚12:01）返美。

The Trump administration sought to address the confusion on Saturday by saying that the fee would only apply to new applicants, and renewals or current visa holders would not be affected. In a post on social media, the White House said the change would “not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the U.S.”

为了缓解混乱局面，特朗普政府上周六试图予以澄清，表示该收费仅适用于新的申请者，续签或现有签证持有者不受影响。白宫在社交媒体发文强调，新规“不会影响任何现有签证持有者往返美国的能力”。

Still, many executives, general counsels and human resources departments, as well as their immigration lawyers, said they were coming down on the side of caution this weekend. Several companies and attorneys had already urged workers to return to the United States as soon as possible. Many kept their eyes glued on the White House social media accounts for any pertinent clarification.

尽管如此，众多企业高管、总法律顾问、人力资源部门及其移民律师在周末仍倾向于采取谨慎态度。多家公司与律师已敦促员工尽快返美。为了获取相关澄清信息，很多人紧盯白宫社交媒体账号。

“We acknowledge that this is an uncertain time for our people on H-1B visas and your families,” Jacqueline Arthur, head of human capital management at Goldman Sachs, wrote in a memo on Saturday to employees. The memo said that Goldman was working with its lawyers “to review the specifics of the order as more detail becomes available to communicate with you accordingly.”

高盛人力资本主管杰奎琳·阿瑟上周六在给员工的备忘录中写道：“我们理解，这对持有H-1B签证的同仁及其家人而言充满不确定性。”备忘录称，高盛正与律师团队合作，“在更多细节公布后研究该命令的具体内容，并及时与你们沟通。”

Bernhard Mueller, co-chair of the immigration practice group at Ogletree Deakins, said he had been flooded with calls from executives and corporate board members about the new rules and how to communicate with employees about them. “There’s a lot of question marks all over this,” he said early Saturday. “We are still flying in somewhat foggy conditions.”

奥格特里·迪金斯律师事务所移民业务组联席主席伯恩哈德·穆勒表示，他已接到许多来自企业高管和董事会成员的电话，询问新规及如何与员工沟通。“围绕整件事仍有很多疑问，”他在上周六早些时候说。“我们仿佛仍在迷雾中飞行。”

Late Saturday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memo underscoring that Mr. Trump’s proclamation only applied “prospectively to petitions that have not yet been filed.”

上周六深夜，美国公民及移民服务局发布备忘录强调，特朗普总统的公告仅“适用于尚未提交的申请”。

Still, the policy change represents a significant overhaul of how the United States distributes what are known as H-1B visas. The visas, which play a crucial role in helping employers fill jobs in the tech industry and beyond, have been at the center of a deep immigration debate.

尽管如此，这一政策变化仍标志着美国H-1B签证分配制度的重大改革。这种对科技行业及其他领域雇主填补职位空缺至关重要的签证，长期以来一直处于激烈的移民辩论的中心。

Immigration hard-liners contend that the visa program hurts Americans because companies have brought in foreign workers at lower wages, while many business leaders say the program helps American companies stay competitive.

移民强硬派认为H-1B签证项目损害了美国人的利益，因为公司会以较低工资引进外籍雇员；许多商界领袖则表示，该项目有助于美国企业保持竞争力。

White House officials said the policy change would help ensure that companies were giving priority to hiring domestic workers. “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and this common sense action does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down wages,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement.

白宫官员称，这一政策调整将有助于确保公司优先雇佣本土员工。白宫发言人泰勒·罗杰斯在一份声明中说：“特朗普总统承诺把美国劳动者放在首位，而这项合乎常理的举措通过遏止企业滥用签证制度、抑制工资下行趋势，正是在兑现这一承诺。”

But executives and industry trade groups said they worried about how the steep fee would affect businesses’ ability to fill critical positions. A spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said the group was working with the Trump administration and its members to “understand the full implications and the best path forward.”

但一些企业高管和行业协会表示，他们担心高额费用会影响企业填补关键岗位的能力。美国商会的发言人表示，该组织正与特朗普政府以及商会成员合作，“以全面了解这一政策的影响，并寻找最佳的应对路径”。

“We’re concerned about the impact on employees, their families and American employers,” Matt Letourneau, a spokesman for the chamber, said in a statement.

“我们担心其对员工、他们的家庭及美国雇主造成的冲击，”商会发言人马特·勒图尔诺在声明中表示。

Amazon, Meta, Google, Apple and Walmart, which are among the biggest users of H-1B visas, either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.

亚马逊、Meta、谷歌、苹果和沃尔玛作为H-1B签证的主要使用者，均拒绝置评或未回应评论请求。

The change was widely expected to be met with lawsuits. Jeff Joseph, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organization was working with other groups to file a legal challenge seeking a temporary restraining order as soon as this weekend. Mr. Joseph said the organizations had been making strategy calls over the weekend and working on finding plaintiffs who represent a wide range of industries.

外界普遍预计这一政策变化将面临法律诉讼。美国移民律师协会主席杰夫·约瑟夫表示，该组织正与其他团体合作，准备最早于本周末提起法律诉讼，寻求临时限制令。约瑟夫说，这些组织整个周末都在开策略会议，并努力寻找能代表各个行业的原告。

Benjamin Johnson, the executive director of the association, said the group’s members were “dealing with chaos” as their clients have been scrambling to understand the change. “I’m just hearing confusion and panic,” he said.

该协会执行董事本杰明·约翰逊指出，其成员正在“应对混乱局面”，因为他们的客户正急于弄清楚这一政策变化意味着什么。“我听到的只有困惑与恐慌，”他表示。

Although tech companies receive the most H-1B visas, Mr. Johnson underscored that the new fee would also affect workers in the medical and manufacturing industries as well as at universities who receive H-1B visas. “The numbers of companies and industries where H-1B workers play a really critical role is incredibly broad,” he said.

尽管获得H-1B签证最多的是科技公司，但约翰逊强调，新规中的高额费用也将影响到医疗、制造业以及大学领域的H-1B签证持有者。“依赖H-1B雇员的公司和行业范围实际上非常广泛，”他说。

Some workers who are currently abroad said they were unsure about how to immediately respond. A 29-year-old software engineer with a stamped H-1B visa set to begin in less than 20 days, was tucked into bed in his Munich apartment early Saturday when he realized he might be stuck in Germany.

一些目前身处海外的员工表示一时间不知应当如何应对。一名29岁的软件工程师持已贴签的H-1B签证（原定20天内生效），上周六清晨他躺在慕尼黑公寓的床上时，才意识到自己可能会被困在德国。

微软、亚马逊和摩根大通员工上周五收到通知，建议持H-1B签证且身处美国境外的人员在新规生效前返回美国。

Speaking before the government’s clarification on how the visa fee would be applied, the software engineer, who is an Indian citizen with a German work visa, said he felt “clueless” about how to proceed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was worried about his visa status.His company, he said, had told him to stay put.

这位持有德国工作签的印度籍工程师在政府澄清费用适用范围之前接受采访时表示，他对接下来要怎么办“毫无头绪”。由于担心签证问题，他要求匿名。他说，公司已告知他待在原地。

In its email to employees on Friday evening, Microsoft, which has roughly 5,200 employees in the program, said that workers currently in the United States should remain there “for the foreseeable future,” even if it interrupts future travel plans.

微软在上周五晚间发给员工的邮件中表示，公司大约有5200名员工持有H-1B签证。邮件建议目前在美国的员工应当“在可预见的未来”留在美国境内，即使这意味着要打乱未来的旅行计划。

“The critical thing is to stay in the U.S. in order to avoid being denied re-entry,” the advisory said.

“关键在于留在美国境内以避免被拒绝入境，”通知强调。

Some policy experts praised the Trump administration’s change and said it would help ensure that companies are not suppressing wages or giving priority to hiring foreign workers over Americans. Lora Ries, the director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said the $100,000 fee was a “good start” at reforming the H-1B program because it would make companies prioritize which foreign workers they want to hire.

部分政策专家对特朗普政府的这项改革措施表示赞赏，认为这有助于确保企业不会压低工资水平，或优先聘用外籍员工而非美国人。华盛顿保守派智库传统基金会的边境安全与移民中心主任洛拉·里斯指出，10万美元收费是改革H-1B项目的“良好开端”，这将促使企业更审慎地考虑要优先雇佣哪些外国人才。

“Americans aren’t getting a fair shake at the opportunities because too many employers are bending the system,” Ms. Ries said.

“美国人没有获得公平的就业机会，因为太多雇主在钻制度的空子，”里斯说。

But the policy change also raised concerns about the long-term impact on the U.S. economy and corporate America. Venture capitalists warned that the change would add to concerns surrounding an uneven playing field, with only the nation’s largest companies being able to pay the fees or secure an exemption, as technology giants like Apple and Nvidia have already done with certain tariffs.

但这一政策变化也引发了对美国经济及企业界长期影响的担忧。风险投资家警告，新规将加剧市场对竞争环境不公平的忧虑——只有全国最大的企业才能支付得起这笔费用或争取到豁免，苹果、英伟达等科技巨头就获得了某些关税豁免。

The challenges of complying may be particularly acute for start-ups, many of which operate for years without reaching profitability.

对初创企业而言，合规挑战尤为严峻，因为它们往往要多年才能实现盈利。

“There is not a single company that I have invested in the last 10 years that could afford to pay this,” said the venture capitalist and private equity investor Alan Patricof.

“在过去10年我投资的企业中，没有一家能负担得起这笔费用，”风险投资人、私募股权投资者艾伦·帕特里科夫说。

The government caps H-1B visas at 85,000 a year, and visa holders can also bring in their immediate family in a related program. The vast majority are typically granted to Indian citizens.

政府将H-1B签证每年的发放数量限额为8.5万个，签证持有者还可通过相关项目携带直系亲属。该签证绝大多数发放给了印度籍公民。

The Indian government issued a statement on Saturday saying that it was still determining “the full implications” of the new visa rules. But, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families.”

印度政府上周六发表声明称，仍在评估新签证政策的“全面影响”。但印度外交部同时指出：“这项措施可能造成家庭分离，从而引发人道主义后果。"

China’s censors are moving to stamp out more than just political dissent online. Now, they are targeting the public mood itself — punishing bloggers and influencers whose weary posts are resonating widely in a country where optimism is fraying.

中国的审查机构要消除的远不止于网上的政治异见。如今，审查员正在把公众情绪本身作为靶子，惩罚那些发消极帖子的博主和网红，这些帖子在一个乐观情绪日渐消逝的国家正在引起广泛的共鸣。

The authorities have punished two bloggers who advocated for a life of less work and less pressure; an influencer who said that it made financial sense not to marry and have children; and a commentator known for bluntly observing that China still lags behind Western countries in terms of quality of life.

已遭当局处罚的包括两名提倡少工作、减压生活的博主，一名表示从财务角度看不结婚、不生孩子有其合理性的网红，以及一名直白地指出中国生活质量仍不如西方国家的评论人士。

These supposed cynics and skeptics, two of whom had tens of millions of followers, have had their accounts suspended or banned in recent weeks as China’s internet regulator conducts a new cleanup of Chinese social media. The two-month campaign, launched by the Cyberspace Administration of China in late September, is aimed at purging content that incites “excessively pessimistic sentiment” and panic or promotes defeatist ideas such as “hard work is useless,” according to a notice from the agency.

最近几周，随着中国互联网监管部门对中国社交媒体进行新一轮整治，这几名所谓的愤世嫉俗者和怀疑论者（其中两人拥有数千万名粉丝）的账号已被暂停或关闭。中国国家互联网信息办公室今年9月底启动了这项为期两个月的行动，据该机构发布的通知，此次行动的目的是整治“恶意挑动负面情绪”和恐慌，或宣扬“努力无用论”等失败主义思想的内容。

“In reality, we all experience fatigue and anxiety as a result of work and life, but these real emotions deserve respect and should not be deliberately amplified for traffic. The internet is not a dumping ground for negativity,” China’s state broadcaster CCTV said in an editorial about the campaign.

“现实中，我们都会为工作与生活感到疲惫和烦恼，但这些真实的情感值得被尊重，而不能被人刻意放大、成为博取流量的工具，网络空间不是负面情绪的‘垃圾场’，”中国的国家电视台央视在一篇关于此项行动的网评中写道。

Around the world, officials debate how to keep social media from stoking outrage and polarization that could spill over into real-world violence or harm. The internet regulator in China has framed its campaign in similar terms, expressing concern about messages that stoke divisions based on gender or other group identities or livestreaming content that glorifies self-harm and violence.

世界各地的官员都在讨论如何防止社交媒体煽动愤怒情绪和两极分化，以免演变成现实世界的暴力或伤害。中国的互联网监管机构已以类似措辞来描述这项行动，对那些挑拨性别对立，或挑拨不同身份认同群体之间冲突的信息，以及美化自残和暴力的直播内容表示关注。

But China’s crackdown carries a distinctly political undercurrent. It demonstrates the concern among its leadership about the spread of malaise as the country grapples with economic uncertainty, a volatile rivalry with the United States and growing disenchantment among young people.

但中国的打击行动带有明显的政治气息。这表明，在国家努力应对经济不确定性、与美国的激烈竞争，以及年轻人越来越失去热情等问题之际，领导层对负面情绪蔓延存在担忧。

In recent years, some young people have opted out of the rat race in favor of a minimal life of “lying flat” or given up on goals altogether and “letting it rot.” The accounts of two bloggers known for promoting a minimal “lying flat” lifestyle were blocked from adding followers late last month.

近年来，一些年轻人已选择退出激烈的竞争，采取“躺平”的极简生活方式，或者干脆放弃目标，拥抱“摆烂”的态度。上个月底，提倡极简“躺平”生活方式的两个知名博主的账号被禁止关注，不能增加新的粉丝。

北京的学生拍脸朝下趴在地上的毕业照，以反映他们为了毕业所经历的疲惫和艰辛。

Beijing is concerned that such pessimism doesn’t just discourage citizens from being productive members of society. It could turn into criticism of the ruling Communist Party.

中国政府担心，这种悲观情绪不仅会阻碍公民成为对社会有用的人，还可能演变为对执政的中共的批评。

“The root cause is deteriorating economic and social prospects for many Chinese, which has led to what for any country would be a natural social response — the expression of anxiety and misgiving,” said David Bandurski, the director of the China Media Project, a research group.

“根本原因在于许多中国人的经济和社会前景正在恶化，这已引发了在任何国家都会出现的自然的社会反应，即焦虑和疑虑的表达，”研究机构中国传媒研究计划主任班志远(David Bandurski)说。

“Such sentiment, the leadership worries, might be infectious,” Mr. Bandurski said.

“领导层担心，这种情绪可能有感染力，”班志远说。

Local governments and social media platforms have jumped into action to carry out the regulator’s orders.

地方政府和社交媒体平台已为执行监管机构的命令迅速行动起来。

In the city of Zhengzhou in central China, officials said two social media account owners were investigated for portraying the city in an unflattering light. In Xi’an, the local internet regulator said it punished the holders of five social media accounts for “spreading false information” about housing prices and real estate regulations.

中国中部城市郑州的官员们称，两个社交媒体账号的所有者在接受调查，因为他们的帖子有损城市形象。西安当地的互联网监管机构称，已对五个社交媒体账号的所有者进行了处罚，因为他们“发布房地产领域虚假不实政策信息”。

Weibo, a popular microblog, said last week that it suspended more than 1,200 accounts that “spread rumors” about the economy and government welfare programs.

热门的微博平台上周称，已关停1200多个“传播经济金融、社会民生等谣言信息”的账号。

The internet regulator ordered platforms to root out posts that use isolated news events to point to broader social problems, a style of commentary that the authority condemned as “malicious misinterpretation” that fuels cynicism about society.

中国互联网监管机构要求各平台铲除那些借孤立新闻事件指向更广泛社会问题的帖子，当局谴责这种评论方式是加剧人们对社会的愤世嫉俗情绪的“恶意歪曲”。

People in China often use such posts to vent frustration or share their fears and questions. Recent incidents such as food safety scandals at schools had residents questioning the transparency and accountability of government officials. Last year a series of random attacks on civilians, attributed to aggrieved residents seeking “revenge on society,” prompted discussion about deep-seated inequality and mental health in China today.

中国人经常用这种帖子来发泄不满，或分享他们的恐惧和疑问。最近发生的事件（如学校的食品安全丑闻）让居民对政府官员的透明度和问责制产生了怀疑。去年，一系列针对平民的随机袭击事件被归咎于愤愤不平的居民寻求“报复社会”，曾引发人们对当今中国根深蒂固的不平等和心理健康问题的讨论。

Most recently, internet users fixated on the death of a Chinese actor, Yu Menglong, whose body was found outside a multistory building in Beijing last month. The authorities, based on a statement from Yu’s mother, said he had fallen accidentally. But in the days after, Chinese platforms were awash with unproven theories that the authorities had covered up foul play or that it had been suicide.

最近，网民们对中国演员于朦胧的死高度关注。上个月，他的遗体在北京一栋高层建筑外被发现。当局称他意外坠楼身亡，这个说法来自于朦胧的母亲。但在随后的几天里，中国各大网络平台上充斥着未经证实的理论，有的称当局掩盖了谋杀，有的称他是自杀身亡。

His death fueled questions about power and corruption in the entertainment industry, as well as about transparency on the part of the police. Weibo limited discussion of Mr. Yu and suspended more than 1,500 accounts for posting about him.

于朦胧的死引发了人们对娱乐圈的权力和腐败，以及警方透明度的质疑。微博限制了有关于朦胧的讨论，并暂停了1500多个发布有关他的帖子的账户。

演员于朦胧2021年在中国成都的一次公开露面。他已在今年9月去世，他的死引发了人们对娱乐圈里的权力和腐败问题的猜疑。

Chinese state media have also sought to cast the online cleanup as an effort to target those who are peddling despair for clicks.

中国的官方媒体还试图将这项网络整治行动描述为针对那些为了点击量散播绝望情绪的人的行动。

The state broadcaster CCTV warned about posts that convey a bleak picture of life in China: “Parents have unfilial children. Men are surrounded by materialistic women. Women are trapped by bad men who cheat. The workplace is full of unmotivated young people.” Such stories, it warned, were the work of “emotional predators” feeding the gloomiest stories to draw attention.

国家广播机构央视对那些把中国的生活描述为没有希望的帖子发出警告，这些帖子总发“父母看到‘儿女不孝’，男性被‘物质女’包围，女性困在‘渣男出轨’的叙事里，职场中充斥着‘不上进的年轻人’的内容。”央视警告，这些帖子是“情绪捕手”为了吸引眼球散播最悲观的情绪制作的。

But official efforts to curb content that profits from despair may be silencing genuine expressions of frustration.

但官员限制利用绝望情绪牟利的努力也许压制了真实的不满表达。

“The official message of positivity is contrasted by an economic reality that is just starkly different compared with the last decades,” said Katja Drinhausen, head of Chinese politics and society at the Mercator Institute for China Studies. “It will not be enough to keep online negative emotions in check.”

“官方传递的积极信息与经济现实形成鲜明对比，目前的经济现实与过去几十年的截然不同，”墨卡托中国研究中心中国政治与社会研究部主任卡佳·德林豪森说。“这不足以控制网络负面情绪。”

Many people complain about stagnant wages or, more recently, whether China’s introduction of a new type of work visa for science and engineering students will eventually mean fewer jobs for Chinese citizens. (A record 12.2 million new graduates are entering the job market this year, at a time when youth unemployment remains stubbornly high.) The government’s efforts to bolster confidence — by expanding its threadbare social safety net, giving subsidies to families with children and offering a consumer trade-in program — have had limited effect.

许多人抱怨工资不再涨或一个最近的问题：中国针对全世界的理工科学生推出了一个新型工作签证，这是否最终意味着中国公民的就业机会将更少。（今年进入就业市场的应届毕业生人数达到了创纪录的1220万，与此同时，青年失业率仍居高不下。）政府为增强消费信心所做的努力——包括扩大薄弱的社会保障网、为有子女家庭提供补贴，以及向消费者提供以旧换新补贴等——收效甚微。

在国家努力应对经济不确定性、与美国的激烈竞争，以及年轻人越来越失去热情等问题的时候，这项整治行动表明领导层如何担心负面情绪蔓延。

The social media accounts of Hu Chenfeng, an auto repairman turned influencer whose videos have highlighted poverty and inequality in China, have been removed from several platforms. Propaganda officials in Zhejiang have accused him of “worshiping the West.”

曾是汽车修理工、后来成为网红的户晨风的视频关注的是中国的贫困和不平等问题。他的社交媒体账号已被多个平台封禁。浙江的宣传官员指责他“崇洋媚外”。

He is most famous for coining a shorthand for class divides in China — Apple users versus Android users — that in his view highlights the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

他最出名的是抛出了一个中国阶级的身份划分——苹果用户vs.安卓用户——在他看来，这个划分凸显了富人与穷人之间的差距。

“‘Android’ is now an adjective,” he said in one video. “For example, an ‘Android computer’ means your computer is very low-end. An ‘Android house’ means that the house has poor soundproofing, a bad layout and poor lighting.”

“‘安卓’现在成了一个形容词，”他在一段视频中说。“比如，‘安卓电脑’的意思是你的电脑很低端。‘安卓房’的意思是房子隔音效果差、户型不好、采光不好。”

One other influencer, Zhang Zibiao, who goes by Zhang Xuefeng online, a former tutor, was known for arguing that students from poor families stood little chance of breaking into elite professions like finance or medicine without the right social or political connections.

另一位网名为张雪峰的网红张子彪曾是一名家教，他广为人知的主张是，贫困家庭的学生如果没有真正的社会或政治关系，很难进入金融或医学等精英行业。

The crackdown is also an effort to rein in the influence of China’s largest social media platforms. In September, the regulator summoned representatives from several popular platforms for content violations.

此项整治行动也是为了严格控制中国几大社交媒体平台的影响力。监管机构已在今年9月就内容违规问题约谈了几个热门平台的负责人。

The People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, said in an editorial that the campaign made clear that platforms could no longer let pessimism proliferate unchecked. “The bugle has been sounded and all parties should act accordingly,” it said.

中共官方喉舌《人民日报》在一篇观点文章中写道，这场整治行动明确表示，平台不能再让悲观情绪肆意滋生。“‘号角’已响，各方当闻号而动，”该文写道。