Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman support Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee increase

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed support Monday, September 22, for President Donald Trump's decision to increase H-1B visa costs for overseas workers to $100,000.

Trump announced the H-1B visa fee increase Friday, requiring employers to provide payment documentation before filing petitions on behalf of workers. The White House stated applicants will face 12-month petition restrictions until payment completion.

The tech executives commented on the H-1B visa changes during a CNBC interview with Jon Fortt, where they announced Nvidia's $100 billion investment in OpenAI for artificial intelligence data center construction.


Also read: Nvidia to invest $100 billion in OpenAI to power next-generation AI, NVDA stock hits record high

"We want all the brightest minds to come to the US and remember immigration is the foundation of the American Dream," Huang said Monday. "We represent the American Dream. And so I think immigration is really important to our company and is really important to our nation's future, and I'm glad to see President Trump making the moves he's making."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman supports H-1B visa streamlining

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also endorsed Trump's H-1B visa modifications, emphasizing talent acquisition benefits.

"We need to get the smartest people in the country, and streamlining that process and also sort of outlining financial incentives seems good to me," Altman said.

H-1B visa fee impact on technology and finance sectors

The $100,000 H-1B visa fee represents a significant change for US technology and finance sectors that depend on the program for highly skilled immigrants. India and China accounted for 71 per cent, and 11.7 per cent of H-1B visa holders last year, respectively.

Current H-1B visa holders located outside the United States will not pay the fee for re-entry. Many employers utilize H-1B workers to address technical role shortages not filled by American labor supply.

Nvidia OpenAI partnership announcement during H-1B discussion

The H-1B visa comments accompanied the announcement of Nvidia's $100 billion investment in OpenAI. The partnership focuses on building data centers worth hundreds of billions of dollars using Nvidia's AI processors.

Also read: Analysts react to Nvidia's $100 billion investment in OpenAI

The collaboration represents one of the largest investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure, combining OpenAI's AI development capabilities with Nvidia's semiconductor technology.