According to a report by the Hindustan Times on the 21st, many American netizens are flocking to major ticket booking websites to maliciously reserve flights, in an attempt to prevent Indian employees working in the United States from purchasing air tickets to return to the country.
据《印度斯坦时报》21 日报道,许多美国网民正涌向各大机票预订网站恶意订票,以此阻止在美国工作的印度籍员工购机票返回美国。
The report states that since the U.S. government announced that H-1B visa applicants must pay an annual fee of $100,000, otherwise they will not be allowed to enter the country, a large number of Indian employees working in the U.S. with this visa have been rushing to return to the U.S. to retain their visas and avoid paying the application fee. Subsequently, some American netizens have been calling on other netizens to book flights from India to the United States. In accordance with the platform rules, even if the booker does not pay for the ticket, the seat will be reserved for the booker for 15 minutes. These American netizens believe that as long as enough users book tickets at the same time and keep these seats in a locked state, Indian employees will be unable to purchase tickets to return to the U.S., thereby losing their visas and jobs.
报道称,自美国政府宣布 H-1B 签证申请人缴纳每年10 美元费用,否则不得入境后,大量持该签证在美国工作的印度籍员工正抓紧返回美国,以保留自己的签证并避免缴纳申请费。随后,一些美国网民正号召其他网民去预定从印度飞往美国的航班。按照平台规则,即使预订者没有支付机票钱,该座位也会为预订者保留15 分钟。这些美国网民认为,只要有足够多的用户同时订票,一直让这些座位处于被锁定的状态,就能导致印度员工无法购票返美,进而失去签证和工作。
The initiative was originally launched by a group of users on the U.S. "4Chan" forum, who complained that the U.S. H-1B visa has allowed a large number of foreigners to enter the United States and take away job opportunities that should have belonged to Americans. Since many Indians hold such visas, these American netizens have shared "ticket-hoarding tips" through online communication and encouraged more people to lock as many flight seats as possible.
最初发起该行动的是美国 “4Chan” 论坛的一批用户,他们抱怨美国的 H-1B 签证使得外国人大量进入美国,抢走了本该属于美国人的工作机会。由于许多印度人持有这类签证,这些美国网民借助网络交流 “占票心得”,鼓动更多人锁定尽可能多的航班座位。
An American netizen who responded to the campaign said that he had used various tools to occupy 100 seats for a long time, and other participants provided screenshots showing that with the active participation of American netizens, the price of air tickets from India to the United States has been continuously rising.
一名响应该行动的美国网民表示,自己借助各种工具长期霸占了 100 个座位,还有参与者给出截图显示,在美国网民的积极参与下,印度返回美国的机票价格也在不断上涨。
India Today reported on the 21st that this move by American netizens is "targeting Indians, who account for the highest proportion of H-1B visa holders," and criticized the act for disrupting the travel plans of Indians.
《今日印度》21 日报道称美国网民这一举动是在 “针对 H-1B 签证持有者中占比最高的印度人”,并斥责此举扰乱了印度人的出行。
It is worth noting that even though White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (Note: The original text mentions "Caroline Levitt," which may be an error; the correct White House Press Secretary at the relevant stage is Karine Jean-Pierre) clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that "those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently abroad will not be required to pay the $100,000 re-entry fee," companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase have instructed their employees holding H-1B visas to stay in the United States or return immediately.
值得注意的是,即使白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳・莱维特(注:此处原文提及 “Caroline Levitt” 或存在信息误差,相关阶段白宫新闻秘书实际为卡琳・让 - 皮埃尔)在 X(原推特)上澄清,“那些已经持有 H-1B 签证且目前在国外的人将不会被收取 10 万美元的重新入境费用。” 但亚马逊、微软和摩根大通等公司已指示其持 H-1B 签证的员工留在美国或立即返回。
According to a report by the Indian Express, nearly 400,000 visas issued under the U.S. H-1B program between October 2022 and September 2023 were granted to Indian citizens, accounting for 72%.
据《印度快报》报道,2022 年 10 月至 2023 年 9 月期间,美国 H-1B 项目签发的近 40 万张签证中,72% 发给了印度公民。
长按上方二维码,扫码下载VOA常速英语APP