Trump政府的H-1B新政

2025年9月19日星期五，由彭博社（Bloomberg）率先爆料：特朗普政府将宣布对 H-1B 签证进行重大改革，核心内容是要求 所有新 H-1B 请愿附带支付 100,000 美元。仅仅数小时之后，Trump就签署了总统公告Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers（对特定非移民工作者的入境限制）。因为新政策的生效时间被定在了9月21日（周一）凌晨12点01分，而且公告中对H1B签证持有者的入境规定不够清晰，这个政策立刻引起了巨大的混乱。许多人临时改签机票，试图在周日也就是新政生效前回到美国。白宫新闻发言人Karoline Leavitt周六下午4点在X上澄清：100,000 美元是一次性的申请费而不是每年的申请费，而且已经获得签证的人不会被要求支付这项费用。至此，关于要不要赶在禁令生效前入境美国的争议暂告一个段落，但是这项新政仍然有许多细节语焉不详。我想分析的是禁令的法律基础、可能产生的效应、以及随之而来的法律争议。

白宫在总统公告中援引的是 《移民与国籍法》 (Immigration and Nationality Act, INA) 第 212(f) 条与 215(a) 条。所以我们不妨先来看看这两个法条：

INA 212 (f) Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline.

INA 215 (a) Restrictions and prohibitions

Unless otherwise ordered by the President, it shall be unlawful-

(1) for any alien to depart from or enter or attempt to depart from or enter the United States except under such reasonable rules, regulations, and orders, and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may prescribe;

(2) for any person to transport or attempt to transport from or into the United States another person with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that the departure or entry of such other person is forbidden by this section;

(3) for any person knowingly to make any false statement in an application for permission to depart from or enter the United States with intent to induce or secure the granting of such permission either for himself or for another;

(4) for any person knowingly to furnish or attempt to furnish or assist in furnishing to another a permit or evidence of permission to depart or enter not issued and designed for such other person's use;

(5) for any person knowingly to use or attempt to use any permit or evidence of permission to depart or enter not issued and designed for his use;

(6) for any person to forge, counterfeit, mutilate, or alter, or cause or procure to be forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered, any permit or evidence of permission to depart from or enter the United States;

(7) for any person knowingly to use or attempt to use or furnish to another for use any false, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered permit, or evidence of permission, or any permit or evidence of permission which, though originally valid, has become or been made void or invalid.

这两个法条比较长，但是都有一个共同特点：它们规定的都是“总统对外国人入境实施限制的权力”。换句话说，如果是在境内转换身份的人，不应受到这个总统公告的影响。白宫这次援引这两个法条其实是深思熟虑的结果，这个思路来自于2018年最高法院对Trump v. Hawaii一案的判决。

2017 年起，Trump主持的行政当局多次发布旅行限制（两版行政令 Executive Order 13769 & 13780，后为 总统公告Proclamation 9645），根据各国信息共享与安全风险评估，限制若干国家公民的入境。夏威夷州及个别原告起诉，认为超越法定权限并带有反穆斯林宗教敌意。第九巡回维持禁令后，最高法院受理并在2018年作出终局判决，认可总统的入境限制权。最高法院的解释就是INA 212(f)条款赋予了总统限制移民入境的权力。因此，这次的总统公告也是因循了这个逻辑，对境外的H-1B申请者的入境加以限制。总之，出于INA 212(f)条款的授权，总统对于调整入境限制的权力是广泛的。

一个悬而未决的问题是：对于已经在美国合法居留并持有工作许可的人，如果从其他身份（比如F1 OPT）转换为H-1B，是不是也要缴纳100，000美元的费用？截止到9月22日周一晚上，没有注册律师敢告诉自己的客户一个确定答案。我既不是律师也不是学法律的，所以我敢妄言推断一下：境内转化身份的程序是由INA 248 Change of nonimmigrant classification规定的，H-1B申请费的原则是规定在INA 286 Disposition of moneys collected under the provisions of this subchapter中的。也就是说，无论是境内转换身份还是申请费的规定，都不在此次总统公告的范围之内。INA 286还特别规定了收费的标准应该以回收行政服务成本为原则。但是新的总统公告的实质是设立了极高的申请门槛。在国会已经有了明确立法的前提下，如果白宫单方面落实新政策，是严重违反三权分立的宪政原则的。我对白宫能谨守宪政分际当然不会抱有不切实际的期待，但是如果有人因为转换身份受阻，那是一定会入禀联邦法院的。

目前USCIS对这个新政如何实施还没有很明确的指示。尽管有个FAQ(www.uscis.gov/newsro...)，但是仍有许多重大问题没有答案。我想未来几周应该还会有发展。我们拭目以待。