Amid Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee shock, Nvidia's Jensen Huang says, ‘My family couldn't have afforded’
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that his family's immigration to the US would have been impossible under Trump's visa policies, which raised H-1B fees to $100,000. He emphasized the importance of immigration for the American dream and assured continued sponsorship of H-1B visas for foreign workers.
Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday that his family’s immigration to the United States would have been impossible under the Trump administration’s current visa policies.
US President Donald Trump, in September, hiked the H-1B visa fee to $100,000. The H-1B visa is granted to foreign professionals with specialised skills.
Huang, born in Taiwan, lived in Thailand and later immigrated to the United States at the age of nine alongside his brother. Their parents joined them after two years.
“I don’t think that my family would have been able to afford the $100,000 and and so the opportunity for my, my family and for me to be here ... would not have been possible,” Huang said in an interview to CNBC’s show “Squawk Box.”
“Immigration is the foundation of the American dream,” Huang said, “this ideal that anyone can come to America and through hard work and some talent, be able to build a better future for yourself," he added.
The Nvidia CEO further mentioned that his parents shifted to the US so that his family could “enjoy the opportunities” and experience “this incredible country.”
Nvidia to cover H-1B visa fees
Huang said that Nvidia will continue covering H-1B visa fees for immigrant employees. The chipmaker currently issues 1,400 visas. The CEO also expressed hope for some “enhancements” to Trump's policies, believing that "there are still some opportunities for serendipity to happen.”
Although his own family’s journey might have been hindered by Trump’s immigration policy, Huang said Trump’s policies will still enable the US “to continue to attract the world’s best talent.”
Earlier, Huang assured foreign workers that the chip maker would keep sponsoring their H-1B visas despite the new $1,00,000 fee.
“As one of many immigrants at Nvidia, I know that the opportunities we've found in America have profoundly shaped our lives,” a report by Business Insider quoted Huang's statement citing an internal memo.
“And the miracle of Nvidia — built by all of you, and by brilliant colleagues around the world — would not be possible without immigration,” he added.
Huang, in his message, added that “legal immigration remains essential to ensuring the US continues to lead in technology and ideas”, and that the Trump administration's “recent changes reaffirm this”.