Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has offered a characteristically thoughtful take on US President Donald Trump’s explosive proposal to raise the H-1B visa application fee from $1,000 to a staggering $100,000. Huang, speaking on The BG2 Podcast with investors Brad Gerstner and David Sacks, called the move “a great start,” but also warned that such a steep price tag could turn the American dream into a luxury item.
Last month, the Trump administration unveiled the massive visa fee hike as part of a broader effort to reform the H-1B programme, a system that allows US employers to hire skilled foreign workers in fields such as technology, engineering and medicine. The official line is that the new rules are designed to stop misuse of the visa and encourage companies to hire locally. But the tech world isn’t exactly cheering. Critics say the $100,000 fee would make it nearly impossible for smaller firms and startups to bring in global talent, leaving the playing field to deep-pocketed giants.
Huang didn’t mince words. “It’s a great start,” he said, referring to the attempt to curb exploitation of the visa system. “But the $100,000 fee probably sets the bar a little too high.” The Nvidia boss acknowledged the intent behind the policy, protecting American jobs, but argued that the execution might backfire. He warned that the cost barrier could deter some of the brightest minds from around the world from building their futures in the US, a country long seen as the ultimate destination for innovators and entrepreneurs.
For Huang, the issue isn’t about nationalism versus globalism — it’s about balance. “We need reforms that protect opportunity without blocking access to it,” he said, adding that America’s strength has always been its ability to attract and nurture the best talent, wherever it comes from. The concern, shared by many across Silicon Valley, is that such a dramatic fee increase could price out the very people who drive innovation — the engineers, designers, and researchers who often begin their careers on H-1B visas.
It’s also worth noting that Nvidia itself relies heavily on global talent. The chip-making powerhouse sponsored more than 1,500 H-1B applications in the last fiscal year, employing about 36,000 people worldwide. For a company that thrives on cutting-edge research, restricting access to skilled workers isn’t just an administrative headache, and it’s a potential blow to creativity and competitiveness.
Huang’s latest comments mark a more measured tone compared with his earlier appearance on CNBC alongside OpenAI’s Sam Altman, where he had enthusiastically said he was “glad to see President Trump making the moves he’s making.” Back then, he had praised immigration as “the foundation of the American dream.” Now, while still welcoming reform, he’s clearly urging moderation, and perhaps a little more common sense.
“The H-1B change is a good start,” Huang said, repeating his cautious endorsement, “but it shouldn’t be the end.” His message to Washington was clear: fixing the visa system is necessary, but pricing out ambition isn’t the way to do it. If innovation is America’s greatest export, he suggested, then making entry tickets worth six figures might just slow the production line.
