The "illegal immigrant" narrative largely stems from Kimbal Musk's comments in 2013. However, it appears these remarks could have been hyperbolic. Legal gray areas can sometimes exist with nonimmigrant temporary visas, especially if there were administrative gaps between visa statuses, but there is no concrete evidence to support the claim that Elon Musk was unlawfully residing in the U.S. during this period.

Musk's progression through lawful Canadian citizenship, U.S. student visas, and employment-visa systems seems to have followed a legitimate legal process. The questioning of his pathway to U.S. citizenship likely comes from the complexity of the U.S. immigration system, especially for high-skilled workers on temporary visas.