Jen-Hsun Huang talks about H1-B: My father could not afford the $100,000 visa fee when he immigrated to the United States.

U.S. President Trump recently announced a new policy for the H-1B visa, requiring companies to pay application fees of up to $100,000 for each foreign high-skilled talent, sparking widespread attention and criticism from the tech and academic communities. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang bluntly stated in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box" program that this new policy could make the "American Dream" seem unattainable and may block opportunities for tech talent immigration. Huang recently sent a memo about the H-1B visa to employees, reminding them that the new policy is coming into effect. This interview marks the first time he publicly discussed being an immigrant to the U.S., emphasizing that immigration is the cornerstone of America. Huang expressed concern that the rising thresholds for the American Dream could hinder business development. Meanwhile, the reform of the H-1B visa has sparked social debate, with prominent American economist Clifford Winston publishing a book criticizing the new H-1B policy as baseless and detrimental to the startup industry, speaking on behalf of many startups and small to medium-sized enterprises.

Jen-Hsun Huang: If this policy had been in place back then, I wouldn't have been able to study and work in the United States at all.

Jen-Hsun Huang said earnestly in an interview, "I am an immigrant, and my family could not afford the $100,000 visa fee back then." He recalled that his father immigrated to the United States to pursue opportunities and dreams, but now the high costs may prevent many people with the same ideals from stepping through the door.

Jen-Hsun Huang emphasized that immigration and talent are the cornerstones of the success of the American technology industry. He pointed out that many international students pursuing degrees in the United States hope to stay and contribute their talents after receiving a world-class education, and the H-1B visa is the first step that allows these talents to stay. Jen-Hsun Huang expressed hope that this policy could be improved so that there would be opportunities to create more unexpected surprises.

Despite the challenges posed by high costs, Jen-Hsun Huang stated that Nvidia will continue to invest in attracting international talent. He mentioned that he would double down on efforts to keep paying these costs to provide opportunities for talent to immigrate to the United States. He affirmed Trump's "pragmatic approach" regarding the H-1B policy, but also hopes that the policy can balance practicality and ideals.

Economists: Suppressing H-1B has no evidence or persuasiveness, and may harm startups and small to medium-sized enterprises.

Many experts in the United States disagree with the claim made by the Trump administration that the H-1B system is being abused and leading to the replacement of American workers. Clifford Winston, an economist at the Brookings Institution, clearly refutes Trump's policies in his upcoming book, Market Corrections, Not Government (. He states that the Trump administration's inferences are completely unsupported by evidence.

Winston stated in an interview that companies hire foreign talent not to suppress wages, but out of considerations for skills, professional abilities, and innovation. He pointed out that there is not a zero-sum competition between American workers and foreign skilled talents; both can complement each other and enhance the overall competitiveness of the industry. He believes that the United States has enough space to accommodate talent, and he bluntly stated that restricting H-1B is equivalent to attacking startups, while innovation is key to economic growth and improving quality of life.

He emphasized that this new policy has limited impact on large tech companies like Microsoft and Google, but it poses a heavy burden on small and medium-sized innovative companies, potentially stifling the development space for startups. Winston stressed that this is not just a financial issue, but a question of whether the United States can continue to attract the best talents from around the world.

H-1B policy reform, where is it headed?

The Trump administration stated in its policy announcement that the reform of the H-1B program is aimed at preventing systematic abuse and avoiding the replacement of American workers by foreign labor at low wages. However, both the personal experiences of leaders from the technology industry and the observations of the academic community regarding market mechanisms have questioned such claims. The direction of H-1B policy reform will not only impact the freedom of businesses to hire and their innovative competitiveness, but also test whether the United States still upholds the values of "dreams and opportunities" as it once did.

In this article, Jen-Hsun Huang talks about H1-B: His father could not afford the $100,000 visa fee when he immigrated to the United States. It first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.