导读
正焦头烂额的不只是近日和特朗普会面的加拿大总理马克·卡尼——还包括英国首相基尔·斯塔默，面对着来自改革党的压力，他在移民问题上突然“转向”：推出一系列严格的新政策，包括收紧学生签证、提高入籍门槛、取消社会护理签证通道等......这些政策迅速引发社会各界争议。
今天我们将一起梳理这一波移民政策变动的前因后果，以及各方激烈交锋的核心焦点。
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has moved to fend off a growing challenge from the populist Reform UK by announcing a series of measures to sharply reduce immigration and prevent Britain from becoming “an island of strangers.”
fend off：抵御，防御
populist：民粹主义的
a series of measures：一系列措施，是政策文体中常见结构
sharply reduce：大幅减少
an island of strangers：一个隐喻性的表达，指社会疏离、文化割裂的国家
首相先生的提案
周一，斯塔默先生公布了一长串提案，他誓言将显著减少定居英国的人数，尽管他没有说明减少多少，也没有设定年度目标。
On Monday Mr. Starmer unveiled a long list of proposals he vowed would significantly reduce the number of people settling in Britain, although he did not say by how much or set an annual target.
unveil：公布、揭示（正式用词）
vow：誓言，强调立场坚定
significantly reduce：显著减少（正式写作用词）
settle in Britain：在英国定居
by how much / set a target：这两者强调政策量化标准的缺失
他宣布的措施包括对学生签证实施更严格的规定，提高所有签证申请者的英语语言要求，以及将申请人必须在英国居住的时间延长至10年，翻倍以符合入籍资格。
Among the measures he announced were tighter rules surrounding student visas, increased English language requirements for all visa applicants and doubling to 10 years the length of time applicants must live in the U.K. to qualify for citizenship.
tighter rules：更严格的规定
increased language requirements：提高语言门槛
double to 10 years：延长至10年，是“倍增”的表达方式
qualify for citizenship：获得入籍资格
政府还计划取消许多公司用来招聘社会护理工人的特殊签证，并考虑对大学从国际学生学费中获得的收入征税。
The government also plans to scrap a special visa many companies use to recruit social care workers, and it’s considering slapping a tax on the money universities earn from international student fees.
scrap：取消、废除
recruit social care workers：招聘社会护理工人（通常指照护老年人等）
slap a tax on：征税（口语化但政策类文章常见）
earn from...：从……中获得收入
“我们将重新掌控我们的边界，”斯塔默先生在新闻发布会上表示，这呼应了改革党领袖奈杰尔·法拉奇及其他脱欧支持者的口号，他们长期以来一直主张，控制移民本应是脱离欧盟的好处之一。
“We will take back control of our borders,” Mr. Starmer said during a news conference, echoing the rallying cry of Reform leader Nigel Farage and other Brexit supporters who have long argued that controlling immigration was supposed to be one of the benefits of leaving the European Union.
take back control：重新掌控，是英国脱欧（Brexit）阵营的核心口号之一
echo：呼应，重复（某人的观点或口号）
rallying cry：战斗口号、动员令（通常用于政治运动）
was supposed to be：原本应当是……，表达对未实现目标的批评或失望
“移民系统的每一个领域——工作、家庭和学习——都将被收紧，以便我们拥有更多的控制权，”斯塔默先生补充道。
“Every area of the immigration system – work, family and study – will be tightened up so we have more control,” Mr. Starmer added.
be tightened up：被收紧（被动语态）
work, family and study：涵盖所有主要签证类别
so we have more control：强调政策目标——“控制边界”
斯塔默先生表示，如果没有明确的规则来“赋予我们的价值观以形状……我们有可能变成一个陌生人的孤岛，而不是一个共同前进的国家。”
Mr. Starmer said that without clear rules that “give shape to our values ... We risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”
give shape to our values：赋予价值观具体形式，即通过政策体现国家理念
we risk becoming...：我们有可能变成……（risk + v-ing 为常见表达）
an island of strangers：延续标题中的表达，强调社会割裂
a nation that walks forward together：一个共同前行的国家，对比修辞突出团结主题
对移民日益增长的公众关注以及民粹主义运动者的压力，促使许多国家的领导人收紧了相关规定。
Growing public concern about immigration, as well as pressure from populist campaigners, has prompted leaders in many countries to tighten rules.
public concern：公众关注
prompt sb. to do sth.：促使某人做某事，是因果结构的常用表达
tighten rules：收紧规定，移民或财政政策常用短语
加拿大总理马克·卡尼承诺将移民数量控制在可持续水平，并限制临时工人和国际学生的数量。
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to reduce immigration to sustainable levels and cap the number of temporary workers and international students.
sustainable levels：可持续水平，是当代政策语言的关键词
cap the number of...：设上限，常用于移民、开支、入学名额等情境中
tough talk：强硬言论
something of a reversal：有些反转、与以往立场不同
campaign against...：在……上进行反对立场的竞选
referendum on...：关于……的公投
自去年大选获胜以来，斯塔默先生一直渴望改善与欧盟的贸易关系，并放宽对年轻人的部分签证限制。
And, since winning last year’s general election, Mr. Starmer has been eager to improve trade ties with the EU and ease some visa restrictions for young people.
trade ties：贸易关系
ease visa restrictions：放宽签证限制，是移民政策中“放松”的常用搭配
改革党的反移民主张
但改革党的日益流行及其反移民的信息显然让首相感到震惊。
But the rising popularity of Reform and its anti-immigration message has clearly spooked the Prime Minister.
spook sb.：吓到某人，造成政治上的震动（新闻中常用于政治反应）
anti-immigration message：反移民论调
改革党在最近几次民意调查中已经跃居于斯塔默领导的工党和反对党保守党之前。
Reform has leaped ahead of Mr. Starmer’s Labour Party and the opposition Conservatives in several recent public opinion polls.
leap ahead of：迅速超越
public opinion polls：民意调查
本月早些时候，改革党还在英格兰各地的地方选举中取得了巨大胜利，代价是工党和保守党的支持率下降。
Earlier this month, Reform also scored massive victories in local elections across England at the expense of Labour and the Tories.
score massive victories：取得重大胜利
at the expense of...：以……为代价，表示损失或牺牲
法拉奇先生一直在不懈地推动大幅削减移民，他将该国飙升的净移民水平——即离开英国人数与进入人数的差额——归咎于住房、医生、学校短缺以及经济增长乏力。
Mr. Farage has campaigned relentlessly on slashing immigration and he has blamed the country’s soaring level of net migration – the difference between the number of people who leave the U.K. and those who enter – for shortages of housing, doctors, schools and poor economic growth.
relentlessly：不懈地，毫不松懈地（强调持续性和强度）
slash immigration：大幅削减移民
net migration：净迁移（移入人口减去移出人口）
blame sth. for sth.：把……归咎于……
shortages of...：……短缺，是移民话题中常见的社会后果类词组
poor economic growth：经济增长乏力，描述宏观经济问题
奈杰尔·法拉奇 (Nigel Farage)
周一，他嘲笑斯塔默先生跟随改革党的路线。“我们正在掌控话语权，”他说，“但他们是否有意愿推动这些事情？我非常怀疑。”
On Monday he mocked Mr. Starmer for following Reform’s lead. “We are controlling the narrative,” he said. “But do they have the will to drive any of this through? I very much doubt it.”
mock：嘲讽、讥讽
follow sb.'s lead：跟随某人的带领/路线
control the narrative：掌控话语权，是媒体与政治讨论中常见表达
have the will to do sth.：有意愿去做……
drive sth. through：强力推动、落实某项政策或决定
I very much doubt it：我非常怀疑（用于强调质疑立场）
在斯塔默先生发表讲话后不久发布的一份政府政策文件采纳了法拉奇先生的许多观点，并强调了高移民水平带来的问题。
A government policy paper released shortly after Mr. Starmer spoke adopted many of Mr. Farage’s arguments and highlighted problems stemming from high levels of immigration.
policy paper：政策文件（正式术语）
adopt arguments：采纳观点
highlight problems：强调问题
stem from：源于，来自（是逻辑因果中的常见动词搭配）
文件指出，净迁移到英国的人数从2019年（英国脱欧前一年）的224,000人增加到2023年的创纪录高点906,000人，去年为728,000人。
Net migration to Britain has increased from 224,000 in 2019, the year before Britain left the EU, to a record high of 906,000 in 2023 and 728,000 last year, the document noted.
a record high：创纪录的新高
note：在此为动词“指出、提及”
net migration to Britain：进入英国的净迁移量
斯塔默先生在该报告的引言中写道，这种数量的失控移民对国家造成了“无法估量”的损害。
That amount of uncontrolled migration has done “incalculable” damage to the country, Mr. Starmer wrote in an introduction to the paper.
uncontrolled migration：未加控制的移民流入
incalculable damage：无法估量的损害
introduction to the paper：报告引言部分
“公共服务和住房获取承受了过大的压力。我们的经济因引进外来劳动力而非投资自身技能的扭曲激励而变得畸形，”他写道。
“Public services and housing access have been placed under too much pressure. Our economy has been distorted by perverse incentives to import workers rather than invest in our own skills,” he wrote.
housing access：获取住房的能力/机会
placed under pressure：受到压力
distorted by...：因……而扭曲
perverse incentives：反向激励、扭曲动机（比如企业更愿意雇佣外劳而不是培养本地人才）
“但可以说，更糟糕的是，这种失败在政治信任方面造成了创伤。”
“But arguably even worse is the wound this failure has opened when it comes to trust in politics.”
arguably：可以说（常用于表示作者的态度判断）
the wound this failure has opened：这种失败带来的创伤
trust in politics：对政治的信任，通常指公众对政府的信赖
报告指出，劳动力结构已转向低技能工人，且部分签证被滥用。
The paper said there had been a shift toward low-skilled workers and some visas had been abused.
a shift toward...：转向……的趋势，常用于人口、政策或结构变动
low-skilled workers：低技能工人，是移民政策中讨论劳动力结构的重要词组
visas had been abused：签证被滥用，是指持有人未按规定用途使用
报告还表示，学生和其他签证持有者被允许在国内停留时间过长。
It also said students and other visa holders have been allowed to remain in the country for far too long.
have been allowed to remain：被允许停留（被动态 + 完成时）
for far too long：时间过长，是批评政策宽松时的常用说法
报告称，“尽管近年来长期移民数量显著增加，经济增长和生活水平却停滞不前。”
“Despite the significant increases in long-term migration over recent years, economic growth and living standards have stagnated,” the paper said.
significant increases：显著增长
long-term migration：长期移民
stagnated：停滞不前（经济、工资、发展等常用动词）
政府希望鼓励雇主在社会护理等严重依赖外国人的行业中寻找本国劳动力。
The government hopes to encourage employers to find domestic workers for jobs in sectors like social care, which have relied heavily on foreigners.
domestic workers：本国工人
rely heavily on...：严重依赖……
sectors like social care：诸如社会护理等行业
左：奈杰尔·法拉奇（“英国改革党”强硬反移民立场的代表人物，因支持脱欧而广为人知）
右：基尔·斯塔默（“英国工党”党魁，现任英国首相，曾反对脱欧）
相关行业领导人怎么说
多位行业领导者表示，签证政策的变化将对那些多年来一直在努力寻找员工的企业造成严重打击。
Several industry leaders said the visa changes will be crippling for businesses that have been struggling for years to find staff.
crippling：造成严重打击的（多用于政策、财政、伤病）
struggle to find staff：难以找到员工，常用于用工短缺话题
据一些估计，仅成人护理行业就有131,000个职位空缺，许多养老院表示他们根本找不到愿意从事这些工作的本地人。
According to some estimates there are 131,000 vacancies in the adult care sector alone and many seniors’ homes say they simply can’t find local people willing to take the jobs.
vacancies：职位空缺
adult care sector：成人护理行业
seniors’ homes：养老院
local people willing to take the jobs：愿意从事这类工作的本地人
“政府在我们已经陷入困境时还要落井下石，”代表养老院及其他提供社会护理机构的Care England首席执行官马丁·格林说。
“The government is kicking us while we’re already down,” said Martin Green, chief executive of Care England which represents nursing homes and other organizations that provide social care.
kick sb. while they’re down：落井下石（非常形象的惯用表达）
nursing homes：护理院
provide social care：提供社会护理服务
“多年来，该行业一直在用日益减少的资源、不断上升的成本和日益增加的空缺职位支撑自己。国际招聘虽然不是万能药，但却是一根救命稻草。”
“For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs and mounting vacancies. International recruitment wasn’t a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline.”
propping itself up：苦苦支撑、勉力维持
dwindling resources：日益减少的资源
rising costs / mounting vacancies：上升的成本 / 激增的职位空缺
silver bullet：灵丹妙药（万能解决办法）
lifeline：救命稻草，至关重要的支撑手段
代表英国大学的团体也对拟议中的学生签证变更和对国际学生学费征收的提议表示担忧。
Groups representing British universities also expressed concern about the proposed changes to student visas and the proposed levy on international student fees.
express concern about...：对……表示担忧
proposed levy：拟议的征税措施
international student fees：国际学生学费
“国际学生是英国的重要贡献者，推动了研究、创新和全球合作，”国家大学与企业中心政策负责人罗莎琳德·吉尔表示。
“International students are significant contributors to the U.K., fuelling research, innovation and global partnerships,” said Rosalind Gill, head of policy at the National Centre for Universities and Business.
significant contributors：重要贡献者
fuel (v.)：推动、助力（常用于科技、增长、辩论等话题）
global partnerships：全球合作
她指出，这些变更“将削弱我们在全球教育市场的竞争力，破坏大学对经济和国家繁荣所做的重要贡献。”
The changes “will diminish our competitiveness in the global education market, undermining the vital contributions that universities make to both the economy and national prosperity.”
diminish competitiveness：削弱竞争力
undermine：削弱、破坏（常用于影响制度、信任、结构等）
vital contributions：至关重要的贡献
national prosperity：国家繁荣，政策讨论常见词组
