Nvidia CEO vows to keep sponsoring H-1B visas despite Trump’s $100,000 fee order

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told employees that the company will continue sponsoring H-1B visas and covering all related costs, even after US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order imposed a $100,000 fee for each new application, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.

In an internal memo, Huang said legal immigration “remains essential to ensuring the US continues to lead in technology and ideas.”

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

Nvidia is one of the largest sponsors of H-1B visas in the U.S. tech industry, with roughly 1,500 approvals in 2025. The chipmaker, now valued at about $4.5 trillion, relies heavily on global engineering and research talent.

Trump’s order, signed last month, introduced a $100,000 annual fee for new H-1B applications, a sharp increase to promote domestic hiring and curb what the administration called “abuses” of the visa system.

The White House later clarified that the fee would not apply to current visa holders or those renewing existing visas. The new rule took effect on September 21.

Huang, who immigrated to the US from Taiwan as a child, has previously said he supports aspects of the policy.

In a CNBC interview, he said he was “glad” to see the order, calling it a “great start,” though he acknowledged on a podcast that the $100,000 fee “probably sets the bar a little too high” and could hurt startups more than established companies.

A coalition of employers, health care providers, educators, and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco last week, arguing that the order would cause “chaos” and harm critical sectors that depend on skilled foreign workers.

“Without relief, hospitals will lose medical staff, churches will lose pastors, classrooms will lose teachers, and industries across the country risk losing key innovators,” the Democracy Forward Foundation and Justice Action Center said in a joint statement announcing the suit.

The H-1B visa program, created by Congress to attract highly skilled workers, typically fills roles in technology, engineering, medicine, and education. Tech giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google are among the biggest recipients of H-1B visas, which are distributed annually through a lottery system.

Despite the steep new costs, Huang told employees that Nvidia’s commitment to sponsoring global talent remains unchanged. “At Nvidia, we built our company with extraordinary people from around the world,” he wrote. “We will continue to sponsor H-1B applicants and cover all associated fees.”