Elon Musk, days after pledging to ‘go to war’ for defending H-1B visas, called the system ‘broken’ and said it needs “major reform.” The tech billionaire Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have recently clashed with Donald Trump supporters over immigration issue. Both Musk and Ramaswamy, who will join the incoming Trump administration, have backed the H-1B visa program.
Elon Musk, responding to a post on X, argued that the US should attract “world’s most elite talent,” but the H-1B program is not the solution.
Musk, who himself came to the US from South Africa on an H-1B visa, suggested the system can be ‘easily fixed.’ He proposed raising the minimum salary significantly and adding an annual cost for maintaining H-1B visas. This, he said, would make it ‘materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically.’
The H-1B visa debate has heated up after President-elect Donald Trump named Sriram Krishnan as the White House policy adviser on artificial intelligence. Krishnan has supported removing per-country green card caps, a stance drawing mixed reactions.
Some Trump supporters favor the move, citing its potential to address tech workforce shortages. Others argue it clashes with the administration’s broader immigration goals.
The H-1B visa debate highlights divisions in US immigration policy, focusing on balancing skilled immigration with domestic workforce development. Indian workers, who made up 72% of H-1B recipients in 2023, add a US-India relations angle to the issue.
