People often ask: How Elon Musk ended up in America?
Today, Elon Musk holds immense influence in American politics. Some even say he helped elect the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
After the election, Musk didn’t just stay in the background. He was brought directly into the fold. Trump personally assigned him a mission: fix the inefficiencies of bloated U.S. government agencies. Musk was given total freedom, even the authority to fire people if he thought it would help.
The internet went wild. People started calling him the second most powerful man in the United States.
But here’s the twist: Elon Musk isn’t even American by birth. In fact, he couldn’t enter the U.S. on his first attempt.
He had to sneak in through Canada. And yes, we’re going to break it all down. Buckle up.
The Grandfather Clause (Almost)
Elon Musk’s maternal grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was technically born in the U.S., in Minnesota, to be exact. But he never actually lived there. He was raised in Canada and later moved with his wife to South Africa.
That’s where Elon’s parents met. His father, Errol Musk, was South African. His mother, Maye Musk, was Canadian. They got married and started their family in apartheid-era South Africa.
Years later, this connection to both Canada and the U.S. would become crucial to Elon’s future.
The Violence of His Youth
Elon was born into a brutal environment. Apartheid South Africa was unstable and dangerous. Violence was a part of everyday life.
One night, a gang of robbers broke into the Musk home. Elon’s father shot one of them dead, something young Elon witnessed firsthand.
Another time, Elon and his brother Kimbal were on their way to a concert when they stumbled across a dead body. Blood was everywhere. They tried to step around it, but ended up with blood-soaked shoes, shoes they had to wear for the rest of the day.
These weren’t isolated events. It was a harsh upbringing. Add to that a deeply complicated relationship with his father, and it’s no surprise Elon started thinking of escape.
At 17, he made a decision: I’m leaving South Africa. With or without anyone’s help.
First Attempt: Denied
Elon first tried to get into the U.S. legally. He thought he could apply for American citizenship based on his grandfather’s birthplace.
The answer? Denied. His mother had never claimed her U.S. citizenship, so Elon had no legal claim either.
But there was another path.
Canada: The Backdoor to America
Thanks to his grandfather’s time in Canada, the Musk family had extended relatives there. And unlike the U.S., getting into Canada was much easier.
So Elon switched plans. He walked into the Canadian consulate and applied for immigration (for himself, his mother Maye, his brother Kimbal, and his sister Tosca). He didn’t include his father.
In May 1989, he got the approval.
Fourteen days later, Elon Musk boarded a plane to Canada with:
- $4,000 in his pocket (split between his parents),
- and a list of Canadian relatives’ names and addresses.
Welcome to immigrant life.
Tough Jobs and Hard Winters
Canada wasn’t easy. Jobs paid around $5/hour, except for one terrifying option that offered $18/hour: cleaning toxic sludge out of lumber mill boilers.
You had to wear a hazmat suit to do it. Elon took the job anyway.
It wasn’t glamorous. But it kept him afloat while he pursued education.
Eventually, he enrolled at Queen’s University in Ontario. But something didn’t sit right. He felt like the curriculum was too easy, not challenging enough.
So he started looking south again.
Second Attempt: This Time, It Worked
Elon applied to transfer his credits to the University of Pennsylvania. To his surprise, he got accepted and received a $14,000 scholarship and student loan support.
In 1992, Elon Musk officially entered the United States as a university student.
He majored in physics. And from there, his American story truly began: Zip2, PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, and beyond.
Final Thought: From Rejection to Reinvention
It’s poetic, really.
A kid who couldn’t get into the U.S. on his first try is now reshaping its government.
A foreign-born outsider is now one of the most powerful people in the nation.
And it all started with a denied application, a detour through Canada, and a boiler room job paying $18 an hour.
Want to know what Elon did next?
- How he built his first company, Zip2, from scratch?
- What sacrifices he made along the way, and why he eventually lost control of the business even after becoming a millionaire?
Then check out our follow-up story: The Zip2 Story.
Also, don’t miss: Lessons We Can Learn from Elon Musk.
