Nvidia to continue sponsoring H-1B visas despite Trump's crackdown

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has assured employees that the company will continue to support H-1B visa applicants, even as the US government tightens restrictions on the program.

In a message to staff, Huang said Nvidia will keep sponsoring H-1B visas and cover all related costs.

He wrote, “As one of many immigrants at Nvidia, I know that the opportunities we've found in America have profoundly shaped our lives,” adding that “the miracle of Nvidia — built by all of you, and by brilliant colleagues around the world — would not be possible without immigration.”

The Business Insider report quoted Huang emphasising the importance of legal immigration to the US technology sector. “Legal immigration remains essential to ensuring the US continues to lead in technology and ideas,” he said, noting that the Trump administration’s “recent changes reaffirm this.”

“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. If you have any questions about H-1B visas, please reach out to NVIDIA-Immigration,” Huang added.

The statement came after US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on September 19 to sharply limit the H-1B visa program. The order also introduced a new $100,000 application fee. While signing the proclamation, Trump said the measure was meant to “incentivise hiring American workers.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the decision, saying the move would discourage large corporations from relying on foreign labour. “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,” he said.

The policy has already sparked legal challenges.

Earlier this month, several unions, education professionals, and religious organisations filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in the Northern District of California. The lawsuit called the new fee “unprecedented, unjustified and unlawful.”

The complaint argued that “the President has no authority to unilaterally alter the comprehensive statutory scheme created by Congress” and warned that the proposed exceptions “open the door to selective enforcement and corruption.”