H-1B System Days After Will Go To War Promise

By Fnf correspondent | PUBLISHED: 30, Dec 2024, 19:26 pm IST | UPDATED: 30, Dec 2024, 19:26 pm IST

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.

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.

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 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.