Jensen Huang and Sam Altman Welcome H-1B Fee Hike: "Only the Best Talent Should Come"

"Simplifying the process and offering financial incentives is a good approach"
Netflix CEO also calls it "an excellent solution"

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, have expressed support for the Trump administration's decision to increase H-1B visa fees.

Huang, who is an immigrant himself, said in an interview with CNBC on the 22nd (local time), "We want the best talent to come to the United States," adding, "I hope people remember that immigration is the foundation of the American Dream. We represent the American Dream." He continued, "I believe immigration is extremely important for the future of our company and our country. I am pleased to see President Donald Trump take this step."

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia. Photo by Getty Images Yonhap News

Altman also shared a positive view on the Trump administration's visa policy in an interview with the same outlet. He stated, "We need to secure the best talent from across the country," and added, "I think simplifying the process and offering financial incentives is also a good approach."

The Trump administration plans to significantly raise the H-1B visa fee, commonly known as the "specialty occupation visa," to 100,000 dollars. This visa applies to specialized positions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and 85,000 visas are issued annually through a lottery system.

President Trump believes that companies are using this visa to bring in foreign workers at a lower cost, resulting in fewer jobs for Americans. He has pointed out that the lottery system has led staffing agencies to submit large numbers of applications, causing unintended side effects, and announced that the application fee will be increased dramatically from about 1,000 dollars to 100,000 dollars. According to CNBC, last year, 71% of those who obtained this visa were Indian nationals, and 11.7% were Chinese nationals.

However, American companies such as startups are concerned about these measures. Venture capitalist Alan Patricof stated, "In the past ten years, not a single company I've invested in could afford this amount."

Economists have also warned that this decision could negatively impact U.S. economic growth, according to the British daily The Guardian.

In this context, the remarks by Huang and Altman are interpreted as indicating that for large technology companies with ample financial resources, being able to pay the 100,000 dollar fee would allow them to "separate the wheat from the chaff," ultimately having a positive effect on recruitment. Currently, the annual allocation of only 85,000 visas is divided among startups and staffing agencies, but by raising the threshold with a significant fee, competition would decrease and these companies could secure talent more reliably.

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, also commented on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling it "an excellent solution," and said, "This means the H-1B visa will only be used for jobs of very high value, eliminating the need for a lottery and providing greater certainty for those positions."