The U.S. Congress is debating how to overhaul the nation’s immigration system in an effort to get foreign nationals who earn advanced degrees at American universities to stay and work in the country to help the U.S. stay globally competitive.
美国国会正在讨论如何整顿国家移民体系，试图让那些在美国获得高等学位的外国人留在美国工作，来帮助美国保持在全球的竞争力。
Some are calling it a “reverse brain drain.”
所谓的“逆向人才流失”正在引起人们的深切关注。
Foreign students flock to American universities to earn master’s degrees and Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering and math.
外国大学生源源不断地涌入美国大学，攻读科学、技术、工程以及数学的硕士和博士学位。
But many, like 25-year-old Yifang Wei from Xian in central China, may not be able to get a visa to work in the United States after graduation.
但是很多人在毕业之后无法拿到在美国工作的签证，就像来自中国西安的25岁的魏逸方(音译)。
“Yes, I am very worried, very worried,” said Wei.
魏逸方说：“是的，我很担心，非常担心。”
In 2009, foreign students earned up to two-thirds of the doctorates in physics and engineering awarded by U.S. schools of higher education.
2009年，在美国高等院校颁发的所有物理学和工程学博士学位中，三分之二是由外国学生获得的。
Xiao Qin is from Beijing and is working toward his Ph.D. in computer science at Georgetown University in Washington. He would like to work for Google, Yahoo or Microsoft.
来自北京的秦晓(音译)正在乔治城大学攻读计算机科学博士学位。他很想为谷歌、雅虎或者微软这类公司工作。
“Obviously, we prefer to stay here for several years, but if we cannot get any valid visa we have to leave,” he said.
秦晓说：“很显然，我们愿意留在美国几年，但是如果我们不能拿到任何有效的签证，那我们就不得不离开。”
The United States limits the number of foreigners who can seek careers in the United States, and critics say restrictive immigration policies hurt America’s ability to retain top students.
美国政府限制外国人在美国就业的人数，批评人士说，限制性的移民政策使美国难以留住尖子学生。
Representative Zoe Lofgren of California said, “While we once asked the brightest minds in the world to come and make their homes here, we now turn them away. Having educated and trained the world’s best students in our universities, we no longer welcome them to enrich this nation.”
加州众议员洛夫格伦说：“我们曾经邀请世界上那些最优秀的人才来美国并在这里安家，可是现在我们却将他们拒之门外。我们的大学教育训练了世界上最优秀的学生，然而却不再欢迎他们对这个国家作贡献。”
High-tech companies recruit workers at the nation’s top universities. But some, like Texas Instruments, say it can take 10 years for their foreign workers to become permanent U.S. residents.
美国高科技公司每年都在全国的一流大学招聘新人。但是其中一些公司，比如德州仪器公司，表示，他们的外国员工要等至少10年，才能成为美国的永久居民。
Darla Whitaker, senior vice president at Texas Instruments, said, “This is not sustainable. It hurts our company and our industry, and it places burdens and stresses on our employees.”
德州仪器公司的高级副总裁惠特克说：“不能这样下去了。这不仅伤害到了我们的公司和产业，还给我们的员工造成负担和压力。”
The United States now limits the number of immigrants from other countries on a country-by-country basis, meaning students from large nations generally have the longest wait.
美国政府对不同国家有不同的移民人数限制，来自大国的学生等待的时间往往比较长。
A recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy says a highly skilled Indian national could wait 70 years for permanent status.
美国国家政策基金会的最新研究结果显示，一个高技能的印度人可能要等70年才能获得永久居留权。
Vivek Wadhwa conducts research about immigrant entrepreneurs, and is on the faculty of Harvard and Duke Universities.
瓦德瓦同时在哈佛大学和杜克大学担任教职。他对移民企业家进行了深入的研究。
“We are out of touch. We are in a knowledge economy. It is all about competition. If we don’t keep these people, if we don’t compete, we are going to lose. We are going to become a third world country and they are going to become like us,” said Wadhwa.
瓦德瓦说：“我们脱节了。我们已经进入知识经济时期，一切都要竞争。如果我们不留住这些人才，如果我们不竞争，那么我们就会失败。我们很有可能变成第三世界国家，而第三世界国家会变成我们。”
Congress is studying ways to change America’s immigration policies.
美国国会正在研究改变美国移民政策的方案。
So far there has not been a consensus, however, on how to reverse the brain drain and keep scholars like Yifang Wei and Xiao Qin in the United States once they graduate from one of America’s top universities.
但是目前还没有达成共识，不清楚如何才能逆转人才流失的现状，如何才能把魏逸方和秦晓这样从美国一流大学毕业的人才留在美国。 |