(Reuters) -Chipmaker Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang said that the company will continue to sponsor H-1B visas and cover all associated costs following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order last month that imposed a $100,000 fee on each new application, Business Insider reported on Tuesday. Huang's reported message, aimed at reassuring employees, comes after panic and confusion had ensued among tech workers on H-1B visas, a large chunk of whom are from India and China. Akin to the wider chip and tech industry, Nvidia has a significant number of employees from overseas. Huang has repeatedly asserted that about half the AI researchers in the world are Chinese. "As one of many immigrants at Nvidia, I know that the opportunities we've found in America have profoundly shaped our lives," Huang wrote in a message to staff, cited by Business Insider. "And the miracle of Nvidia — built by all of you, and by brilliant colleagues around the world — would not be possible without immigration," Huang added, according to the report. Nvidia declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Trump's order bars new H-1B recipients from entering the United States unless the employer sponsoring their visa has made an additional $100,000 payment. The administration has said the order does not apply to people who already hold H-1B visas or those who submitted applications before September 21. H-1B visas allow businesses to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Late in September, U.S. lawmakers asked major U.S. companies to explain why they are hiring thousands of foreign workers on H-1B visas while cutting other jobs. According to the report, in his message to staff, Huang said that "legal immigration remains essential to ensuring the U.S. continues to lead in technology and ideas," and that the Trump administration's "recent changes reaffirm this." California, home to Silicon Valley and multiple tech giants, including Nvidia, has consistently ranked first in the country since 2018 in the number of visa applications received annually, according to USCIS data. (Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
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