President Joe Biden criticized Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for hypocrisy on immigration, saying Musk launched his long career in the United States as an “illegal worker” before becoming the man richest in the world.

The president made the remarks during a campaign event in support of Democrats in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 26.

Calling Musk a wealthy new “ally” of former President Donald Trump, Biden said, “This richest man in the world turned out to be an illegal worker here when he was here,” referring to Musk. He also criticized Trump and Republicans for failing to sign legislation that would solve “the border problem.”

Musk has previously argued that his transition from student to entrepreneur was a “legal gray area.”

In response to the new allegations, Musk wrote: “I had a J-1 visa that was upgraded to an H1-B visa. They know because they have all my files. Losing the election makes them desperate.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk briefly worked illegally in the United States after dropping out of a graduate program in California, the Washington Post reported on October 26.

According to the Washington Post, Musk certainly worked in the United States without authorization for a period in 1995, after leaving Stanford University to work on his first company, Zip2, which sold for around $300 million four years ago. years later.

Legal experts told the Washington Post that foreign students cannot drop out of school to start a business, even if they don’t get paid.

The SpaceX boss, who is campaigning for Donald Trump’s second presidency, is promoting the Republican candidate’s opposition to “open borders” on his social networking site X (formerly Twitter).

Musk accused Vice President Kamala Harris and her fellow Democrats of “importing voters” through illegal and temporary immigration. During a recent campaign for Trump, he compared the US-Mexico border to a “zombie apocalypse” – even though he had also previously described himself as “extremely pro-immigrant, being a of the latter.”

Musk moved to Palo Alto, California, in 1995 to attend Stanford University, but did not enroll in any graduate programs. Instead, he focused on developing Zip2, a software company that was sold in 1999 for about $300 million.

“I was there legally, but I was supposed to do student work. I was allowed to do any work to support anything,” he said earlier.

Musk employs 121,000 people at Tesla, around 13,000 at SpaceX and nearly 3,000 at X.

Immigration is a key issue in the upcoming US presidential elections on November 5, with issues such as the drastic increase in illegal border crossings, limited resources and a failing asylum system taking center stage during the electoral campaign.

J-1 visa and work permit

According to the guidelines, J-1 visa holders can work in the United States, but they must obtain work authorization and follow federal regulations. J-1 students may work up to 20 hours per week on campus during the school year. They can work full time during breaks, provided they return to class when the semester resumes.

J-1 students may work off-campus in certain circumstances, such as if faced with severe, urgent, and unforeseen economic circumstances. They must obtain written permission from their program sponsor before beginning work. J-1 students may also work for a U.S.-based employer in their field of study for up to 20 hours per week during the school year and full-time during breaks. They can even interrupt their studies to complete their academic training.

J-1 visa holders are generally required to work for their program sponsors. However, they may be able to work for non-sponsored employers if they meet certain eligibility requirements. Some J-1 visa holders must return to their home country for at least two years before returning to the United States on a nonimmigrant or immigrant visa.