US Senator Eric Schmitt sparked an online controversy by targeting Hyderabad’s Chilkur Balaji Temple, popularly known as the “Visa Temple”, while he was criticising the US H-1B visa programme.
In a series of posts on X, the Republican senator from Missouri attacked the US employment-based visa system, alleging it suppresses local wages and creates a global “Visa Cartel” that displaces American workers.
He claimed that programmes such as H-1B, L-1, F-1 and Optional Practical Training (OPT) are “hollowing” the American middle class.
The “Visa Cartel” has its own “Visa Temple” in Hyderabad, which sees thousands of Indians circling altars and getting passports blessed for U.S. work visas.
American workers shouldn’t have to compete against a system this gamed. pic.twitter.com/k7wSlECTJ6
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) May 13, 2026
“Billions now flow to India for AI training instead, subsidised by Americans,” he wrote on X.
To illustrate his claims, Schmitt shared a photo of the Chilkur Balaji Temple, stating that it is a “Visa Temple” that Indians or the “Visa Cartel” pray at for getting their visas successfully granted.
“The “Visa Cartel” has its own “Visa Temple” in Hyderabad, which sees thousands of Indians circling altars and getting passports blessed for U.S. work visas. American workers shouldn’t have to compete against a system this gamed”, Schmitt wrote in a post on X.
In a separate tweet, he alleged that foreign students, of whom almost half are Indians, get taxpayer-subsidised work permits and corporations do not get any payroll taxes or wage rules.
“They flow into H-1B, then green cards, while U.S. grads with debt compete against cheaper labour,” he said.
Taking the argument further, Schmitt said that is not where the “cartel’s work is done”. He said Indian visa holders share confidential questions that are asked in interviews with other applicants from India.
“Big Tech quietly locks out Americans by routing jobs through these pipelines. Merit is now replaced by ethnic favoritism”, he wrote.
Hyderabad hosts a number of temples that have become closely linked with aspirations for US visa approvals, particularly among students and IT workers. It is common for visa applicants to visit these temples ahead of their interviews or before departing for abroad.
The most well-known of these is the Chilkur Balaji Temple, widely called the “Visa Temple” by locals, where worshippers come to seek divine blessings for their US visa applications.
India consistently accounts for roughly 70-80 per cent of total H-1B visa approvals, significantly higher than China, which represents about 12 per cent.
