In a definitive statement about his national allegiance, tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has declared that he holds only an American passport and intends to spend his life in the United States. The world's richest person made these remarks, which were subsequently shared on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Musk's Firm Declaration of American Identity
Elon Musk was quoted as saying, "I hold one passport now & forever: America. I will live & die here. Or Mars (part of America)." This statement puts to rest any speculation about dual citizenship for the high-profile entrepreneur. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28, 1971. His path to American citizenship was multi-staged, beginning with Canadian citizenship obtained through his mother, Maye Musk, in 1989 when he was 17 years old.
That same year, he began his studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. His move to the United States came in 1992 when he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania under a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa.
The J-1 Visa: Musk's Gateway to America
The J-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa issued by the United States for individuals approved to participate in work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs. It is designed for categories like students, researchers, teachers, and interns. A key condition for some J-1 holders is the two-year home-country physical presence requirement, which mandates they return to their home country for at least two years after their program ends before applying for certain other US visas or permanent residency. It remains unclear if this requirement applied to Musk's specific visa category at the time.
Controversy Over Early Career and Citizenship Status
Elon Musk became a naturalized US citizen in 2002. However, his early career in the US faced scrutiny in 2024 after a Washington Post report suggested he may have begun working illegally while building a Silicon Valley startup in the 1990s. A video referencing these claims, featuring US President Joe Biden, went viral on X.
Musk directly countered these allegations, stating, "I was in fact allowed to work in the US," and accused President Biden of lying. This denial firmly addresses the questions raised about his visa compliance during his initial entrepreneurial ventures.
Citizenship of Musk's Children
The citizenship status of Elon Musk's large family is also of interest. He has 12 children with three different partners. A majority of his children are American citizens by virtue of being born on US soil. Additionally, through their mothers, many are also eligible for Canadian citizenship, creating a potential multi-national background for the next generation despite Musk's own singular declared allegiance.
Musk's clear proclamation reinforces his identity as a dedicated American, even as he leads ambitious projects like SpaceX with the goal of making humanity multi-planetary, humorously extending America's reach to Mars.
