Context. What if those other countries viewed foreigners the way South Africa does? Which of the 3 countries and Elon himself would be better off?
Around age 17 when he first left South Africa (for Canada in 1989); age ~21 when he first set foot in the US (1992); he relocated to the US that year as a student and stayed; he became a US citizen in 2002 (age ~31); he holds triple citizenship (South Africa, Canada, and the US); his mother lives in the US (associated with NYC), his father in South Africa (Langebaan area), and his siblings primarily in the US; and he was based in the Silicon Valley/Palo Alto, California area during the PayPal years.
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He left South Africa in 1989 (passport approvals in late May), shortly after high school, at age 17. He obtained Canadian citizenship through his Canadian-born mother (Maye), flew to Canada, and celebrated his 18th birthday there. This was his first time living outside South Africa; he briefly attended the University of Pretoria while waiting for paperwork.
He first set foot in the United States in 1992 (age 20–21), transferring from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on a student visa. He earned degrees in physics and economics (Wharton). He later moved to California in 1995 intending to start a Stanford PhD in applied physics but left after about two days to found Zip2 with his brother Kimbal in the Silicon Valley area (Palo Alto).
He effectively relocated to and settled in the US from 1992 onward (initially as a student, later working). He became a naturalized US citizen in 2002 (age ~30–31), taking the oath in California (Pomona Fairplex area). He has described the process as extremely difficult and taking over a decade.
He is a dual (actually triple) citizen: South African by birth, Canadian via his mother (from birth/early on, formalized for travel), and American since 2002. He retains all three.
- Mother Maye Musk (Canadian-born model/dietitian/author): Associated with New York City (longtime residence; her X profile lists NYC) and has visited family in Texas.
- Father Errol Musk (South African engineer/businessman): Lives in Langebaan, Western Cape, South Africa (near Cape Town).
- Brother Kimbal Musk: Lives in Boulder, Colorado (restaurateur, Tesla board member, other ventures).
- Sister Tosca Musk: Primarily US-based (film/TV producer).
(There are also half-siblings via Errol.)
During the PayPal period (late 1990s–early 2000s), he was in the Silicon Valley/Palo Alto, California area. He founded X.com (online banking) there in 1999 using Zip2 proceeds; it merged with Confinity (which had the PayPal product) in 2000, and the combined entity focused on payments, was renamed PayPal, and was based in Palo Alto. He served as CEO for a time before being ousted in a 2000 board/executive move while on a trip; he remained a major shareholder. PayPal was sold to eBay in 2002.
These details draw from contemporaneous reporting, biographies (e.g., Ashlee Vance, Walter Isaacson), public records/profiles, and statements from Musk and family. Exact dates for some early moves can vary slightly by source, but the ages and sequence are consistent.