Elon Musk, a global entrepreneur, now faces potential revocation of his US citizenship. US law allows denaturalization if citizenship was obtained through concealment or false information. Musk, originally from South Africa and later a US citizen, might have violated entry laws by working without authorization in the ‘90s.
Recent reports from the Washington Post and Wired suggest that Musk worked without proper documentation before receiving his H1-B visa. In 1995, Musk enrolled at Stanford but instead launched his startup, Zip2, which would have been legally problematic under a student visa without enrollment. A student on such a visa, without enrolling, would lose legal status to remain or work in the US.
Now, if evidence emerges that Musk misrepresented his status during naturalization, he could face denaturalization, despite his monumental contributions to the US economy. Immigration laws closely scrutinize the veracity of details on forms, and during Trump’s administration, over a thousand denaturalization cases were pursued, highlighting the severity of such issues.
However, experts debate if Musk’s violation would be considered significant enough for citizenship loss. Musk could clarify the situation by releasing his immigration documents, but his representatives have yet to respond.
