**H-1B Visa Fee Hike: Beneficiaries Like Musk, Nadella, Pichai Remain Silent**
*By Dwaipayan Roy | Sep 21, 2025, 06:25 PM*
Silicon Valley’s tech giants, including Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella, have remained notably silent following the Trump administration’s recent announcement of a new $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions. This silence is particularly surprising given Elon Musk’s previously strong opposition to changes in the H-1B visa system.
**Elon Musk’s Previous Stance on H-1B Visa Changes**
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has been vocal about his concerns regarding modifications to the H-1B visa program. In December, Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) highlighting that many critical employees who helped build SpaceX, Tesla, and other successful tech companies are here on H-1B visas. He even went so far as to threaten to “go to war” over changes affecting this visa category.
**Details of the New H-1B Visa Fee**
The newly signed rules by President Trump introduce a hefty $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions. According to the administration, this measure is intended to ensure that only “extraordinarily skilled” individuals are permitted to enter the United States, preventing companies from replacing American workers with foreign professionals. The policy is expected to heavily impact Indian tech workers, who comprise approximately 71% of all H-1B visa holders.
**Clarifications on the Fee**
The administration has clarified that the new rule applies solely to new visa petitions and does not affect existing H-1B visa holders who are re-entering the U.S. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt explained on X that the $100,000 charge “is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.” Here, a petition refers to a company’s formal request to bring a skilled worker from another country into the United States.
As this major policy change unfolds, the silence from leading tech beneficiaries raises questions about the future landscape of skilled immigration in the U.S. and its impact on the technology sector.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/business/h-1b-visa-s-100-000-fee-what-are-silicon-valley-ceos-saying/story