Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doubling down on their support for an immigration program that brings skilled workers to the U.S.
Musk has long championed the H-1B visa and this weekend Trump said he’s “always been in favor of the visas.”
Here’s what the visas are and what they mean for New Jersey?
What is the H-1B visa?
Simply, H-1B visas allow U.S. companies to hire foreign workers for specialized roles in fields like tech, engineering, and healthcare as a way to fill jobs that require highly specific expertise.
MyVisaJobs.com, which compiles federal data.
Major companies like Cognizant and Ernst Young are the primary employers for H-1B visa holders, with average salaries topping $120,000.
With bustling tech and pharmaceutical industries, New Jersey ranks fifth nationally for the number of H-1B petitions filed, trailing only California, Texas, New York, and Washington, based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor and MyVisaJobs.com.
California led the nation in 2023 with over 102,000 petitions. Texas followed with approximately 78,000 petitions, both driven by massive demand in the tech and energy sectors.
