Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, expressed strong criticism towards the United States for imposing a cap on visas within the H-1B category. Musk argued that the U.S. should address the issue of illegal immigration while simultaneously increasing legal immigration opportunities. He highlighted the considerable challenges faced by legal immigrants attempting to relocate to the U.S., contrasting it with the relative ease of entering the country illegally.
Musk’s comments were prompted by a chart illustrating pending applications from ‘highly skilled individuals’ seeking H-1B visas. The H-1B visa category permits U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers for specialized occupations, with Indian tech professionals being significant beneficiaries. However, the category has an annual limit on the number of accepted applications, a restriction that originated with former President Donald Trump’s temporary suspension of new work visas in July 2020.
Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, shared the aforementioned chart, emphasizing the constraints on highly skilled workers wanting to contribute to the U.S. workforce. Musk echoed these sentiments, describing the situation as madness and advocating for a crackdown on illegal immigration alongside a substantial increase in legal immigration.
In addition, Musk pointed out the perceived failure of the current administration’s border policy, citing statistics that indicated a significant surge in monthly encounters at the border under President Joe Biden compared to previous administrations. Musk contended that the numbers unequivocally demonstrated the administration’s active facilitation of illegal immigration.
Currently, the H-1B classification has an annual cap of 65,000 new visas, with an additional 20,000 exemptions for beneficiaries holding a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education. Musk highlighted how Donald Trump viewed an increase in visas under this category as a potential threat to American workers’ employment opportunities.
Source: MSN
