居住在海外的外國工人誤收了1200美元的美國經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計劃支票

居住在海外的外國工人誤收了1200美元的美國經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計劃支票

Stimulus checks are prepared on May 8, 2008, in Philadelphia. In 2020, stimulus checks again went to many Americans, this time during the pandemic's economic fallout. Some of that money went to thousands of foreign workers not eligible to receive the funds.

經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計劃于2008年5月8日在費城進(jìn)行。在2020年，許多美國人再次收到經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支票，這一次是在流行病的經(jīng)濟(jì)影響下進(jìn)行的。其中的一部分資金流向了數(shù)千名沒有資格領(lǐng)取資金的外國工人。

Thousands of foreign workers who entered the U.S. on temporary work visas received $1,200 checks in error during the first round of stimulus payments, and many of them are spending the money in their home nations. One tax preparation firm told NPR that it has clients from 129 countries who mistakenly received stimulus checks.

成千上萬持臨時工作簽證進(jìn)入美國的外國工人在第一輪經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支出中錯誤地收到了1200美元支票，他們中的許多人現(xiàn)在正在自己的祖國消費。一家稅務(wù)準(zhǔn)備公司告訴NPR，它的客戶來自129個國家，他們誤收了經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支票。

Government officials and tax experts say the mistake happened because many foreign workers, whether unintentionally or on purpose, file incorrect tax returns that make them appear to be U.S. residents. Some of them are now trying to amend their returns because they worry that having mistakenly received a stimulus check will jeopardize their visa status, green card application or ability to return to the U.S.

政府官員和稅務(wù)專家說，之所以出現(xiàn)這種錯誤，是因為許多外國工人，不管是無意的還是有意的，都提交了錯誤的納稅申報單，使他們看起來像是美國居民。他們中的一些人現(xiàn)在正試圖修改他們的申報表，因為他們擔(dān)心誤收的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支票將危及他們的簽證身份、綠卡申請或返回美國的能力。

How much stimulus money was mistakenly sent to foreign workers living overseas is difficult to quantify. But Sprintax, which does U.S. tax preparation for nonresidents, did about 400 amended returns last year for people who mistakenly filed as U.S. residents, and so far this year it has done 5,000 — almost 5% of the total federal tax returns it filed last year, according to the company. If just 5% of last year's more than 700,000 student and seasonal workers with F-1 and J-1 visas received a stimulus check in error, that would total $43 million.

很難量化有多少刺激資金被錯誤地送到了生活在海外的外國工人手中。但為非美國居民做美國納稅準(zhǔn)備的Sprintax公司稱，該公司去年為錯誤申報為美國居民的人修改了約400份納稅申報單，今年到目前為止已經(jīng)修改了5000份，幾乎是去年提交的聯(lián)邦納稅申報單總額的5%。去年，70多萬持有F-1和J-1簽證的學(xué)生和季節(jié)性工人中，只要有5%的人錯誤地收到了經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支票，那總計就會有4300萬美元。

The "economic impact payments" sent erroneously to non-U.S. citizens are the latest in a series of mishaps involving coronavirus relief efforts, including nearly $1.4 billion in stimulus checks sent to dead Americans. As Congress debates another pandemic relief package, it's considering a second round of payments that would exclude the deceased, but its new bill does not address the problem of $1,200 checks having mistakenly gone to foreign workers in other countries.

“經(jīng)濟(jì)影響支票”被錯誤地送到了非美國居民手中。這是冠狀病毒救援工作中發(fā)生的最新一起不幸事件，包括近14億美元的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支票被寄給了死去的美國人。國會正在討論另一套流行病救助方案，正在考慮將死者排除在外的第二輪款項，但新法案并沒有解決1200美元支票被錯誤地發(fā)給在其他國家工作的外國工人的問題。

Many of those workers are college students, often from Eastern Europe and South and Central America, who travel to the United States for temporary and seasonal low-wage jobs such as waiters, lifeguards and hotel housekeepers at ski resorts, amusement parks and beach destinations. In a typical year, the U.S. issues work visas to several hundred thousand foreign students.

這些工人中有很多是大學(xué)生，他們通常來自東歐、南美和中美洲，他們來美國做一些臨時和季節(jié)性的低工資工作，比如在滑雪勝地、游樂園和海灘景點的服務(wù)員、救生員和酒店服務(wù)員。在典型的年份里，美國向數(shù)十萬外國學(xué)生發(fā)放工作簽證。

The U.S. government acknowledges that some stimulus checks were improperly sent to foreign workers and told NPR that the Treasury Department is "exploring possible options" to prevent that from happening again.

美國政府承認(rèn)，一些經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激支票被不錯誤地發(fā)給了外國工人，并對美國國家公共廣播電臺表示，財政部正在“探索可能的選擇”，以防止這種情況再次發(fā)生。