Nvidia plans to keep sponsoring H-1B visas for its employees and will absorb the full cost of the process, even after President Donald Trump’s new executive order introduced a steep $100,000 fee for each new application, as per Business India on Tuesday.
In a note to employees, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sought to calm concerns across the company, addressing the uncertainty spreading through the tech industry especially among H-1B workers, a large number of whom come from India and China.
Huang’s message followed Trump’s Sept. 19 order, which sharply restricted the H-1B program that enables U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals.
“As one of many immigrants at Nvidia, I know that the opportunities we’ve found in America have profoundly shaped our lives,” Huang wrote, according to Business Insider.
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“And the miracle of Nvidia — built by all of you, and by brilliant colleagues around the world — would not be possible without immigration.”
Huang emphasized that “legal immigration remains essential to ensuring the U.S. continues to lead in technology and ideas,” adding that the Trump administration’s “recent changes reaffirm this.”
Under the new directive, companies must now pay an extra $100,000 for every new H-1B visa issued, and those workers cannot enter the U.S. unless the fee is paid. The administration later clarified that the rule excludes current H-1B holders and applications filed before Sept. 21.
Based in Santa Clara, California, a state that has led the nation in H-1B filings since 2018, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Nvidia employs a large share of international talent, reflecting broader hiring patterns across the semiconductor and tech sectors. Huang has noted in the past that roughly half of the world’s AI researchers are of Chinese origin.
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“At Nvidia, we built our company with extraordinary people from around the world, and we will continue to sponsor H-1B applicants and cover all associated fees,” Huang told employees. “If you have any questions about H-1B visas, please reach out to Nvidia-Immigration.”
The Trump administration has justified the move as an effort to put American workers first. “So the whole idea is, no more will these big tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $100,000, then they have to pay the employee. So, it’s just not economic,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
Earlier this month, a coalition filed a lawsuit against the administration in the Northern District of California, describing the new fee as “unprecedented, unjustified and unlawful.”
The suit contends that the president has “no authority to unilaterally alter the comprehensive statutory scheme created by Congress,” cautioning that the order’s narrow exemptions could open the door to “selective enforcement and corruption.”