Elon Musk said he 'very much disagrees' with Trump's suspension of H-1B work visas and other temporary work visas

One of the affected visas is the H-1B, which applies to "high-skilled" workers and is frequently used by tech companies to attract talent.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted he "very much disagree[s]" with the decision, and said H-1B applicants are "net job creators."
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Elon Musk has joined top tech CEOs to hit back against Donald Trump's decision to halt a variety of immigration visas until the end of the year .

Trump told reporters on Monday that all H-1B, H-2B, H-4, J-1, and L-1 visas will be suspended. The tech industry frequently uses the H-1B visa program to hire in talent from abroad, as it applies to "high skilled" engineers. Trump said the reasoning behind the suspension was to block immigrants from taking 525,000 jobs while unemployment spikes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted about the decision on Monday evening. "Very much disagree with this action. In my experience, these skillsets are net job creators. Visa reform makes sense, but this is too broad," said Musk.

Musk did not elaborate on what kind of visa reform he would be in favor of. Musk is himself an immigrant, having come to the US via Canada from South Africa as a young man.

This is not the first time Musk has challenged Trump's immigration policy.

In 2017 Musk published a series of tweets criticizing the ban Trump imposed on people immigrating from Muslim countries although he quickly deleted them, later saying the tweets were drafts which he had accidentally published.

Musk joins other tech executives and companies in speaking out against the order, although his rhetoric is less forceful than others.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted: "Immigration has contributed immensely to America's economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today's proclamation we'll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all."

"Now is not the time to cut our nation off from the world's talent or create uncertainty and anxiety. Immigrants play a vital role at our company and support our country's critical infrastructure," tweeted Brad Smith, president of Microsoft. "They are contributing to this country at a time when we need them most."

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