Link to Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/03/indians-flock-to-hindu-temples-to-pray-for-us-visas-after-trump-crackdown
Working-class Indians have been flocking to Hindu temples across the country as a result of a new initiative taken up by President Donald Trump of the United States. These initiatives, mostly sparking from the result of executive orders being signed in order to make immigration to the United States harder and more difficult. A popular name for the practice of flocking to these temples for divine help on immigration has been coined as “Visa Hanuman”, originating out of one of India’s western provinces, Gujarat. This comes all as President Trump faces backlash for the new executives orders under his second administration, as the H-1B visa program that allows skilled STEM workers to come to the U.S on visas and green cards, is primarily made up of talented Indian workers and engineers.
An estimated two third of all H-1B visa programs admittees come from India, one said admittee, who chose to remain anonymous was admitted for a H-1B visa last year. Claiming that out of 11 applicants, only one, he, was admitted for a visa. A prestigious admittance none the less, it remains to see how prestigious and exclusive these visas will be in the coming months and years due to the new orders and immigrational rules imposed by this second Trump administration.
I think this article is important both for the future of India and of the United States–as the United States has heavily relied on per say, importing, foreign, skilled workers over the duration of its existence, where as India is finally becoming a rising power capable of matching alongside more established, western powers. If skilled workers remain in India, it could very well speed up India’s rise to power as a prominent player in the South Asian and Central Asian regions, but could also lead to a downturn in the American STEM sector, as there are reports that America is not self-sufficient enough to maintain the demands posed by the STEM field, with a lack of workers being the most notable problem for the future.
It’s likely that the United States will be lobbied by various corporations, interest groups and non-governmental organizations to alter some of its new requirements, rules and impositions for immigrants, especially those applying to the H-1B program, as American corporations need skilled workers for manufacturing purposes, and Indian workers still aim to seek out the prestigious visas to move to the United States. As for what India could do in any response to this, there is very little. They could lobby the U.S government for less restrictions on its workers immigrating abroad, however this in the long-term would harm the future Indian workforce–so it remains to be seen if they are going to prioritize allowing the immigrations, or prioritize the future of their STEM sector.