Summary:
- Indian professionals facing stricter US visa rules under Trump’s 2025 executive orders are visiting Hindu temples like Ahmedabad’s “Visa Hanuman” for divine intervention through passport rituals and devotional hymns.
- Hyderabad’s Chilkur Balaji Temple sees applicants performing 108 barefoot shrine circumambulations, while Delhi’s Shree Siddhi Peeth devotees abstain from meat/alcohol for 41 days as visa sacrifices.
- The trend highlights anxiety over H-1B visa uncertainties (66% historically Indian recipients), amid policy debates between tech reformers like Musk and immigration hardliners.
- Personal accounts include a New Jersey-bound engineer crediting temple visits for his approved visa and a 26-year-old Hyderabad developer maintaining monthly rituals despite two-year delays.
Indian professionals facing heightened US visa restrictions under the Trump administration are increasingly turning to Hindu temples renowned for granting immigration-related wishes. This spiritual response to bureaucratic challenges has surged since February 2025, when new executive orders tightened vetting procedures for skilled worker visas.
At Ahmedabad’s Chamatkari Hanuman Temple – nicknamed “Visa Hanuman” – priests guide applicants through rituals involving passport placements before the monkey-faced deity and devotional hymn recitations. “It’s all about faith,” said temple priest Vijay Bhatt, who claims some devotees received approvals within hours despite previous rejections. Similar practices occur at Hyderabad’s Chilkur Balaji Temple, where hopefuls complete 108 barefoot circumambulations around the shrine, and Delhi’s Shree Siddhi Peeth, where devotees undertake 41-day dietary sacrifices abstaining from meat, alcohol, and allium vegetables.
The trend reflects both cultural traditions and practical anxieties as two-thirds of H-1B visa recipients historically come from India. While tech leaders like Elon Musk advocate reforming rather than eliminating the program, immigration hardliners push for stricter limits. This policy debate leaves thousands of skilled workers in limbo, including Hyderabad-based software engineer Chandana, 26, who continues monthly temple visits despite two years of waiting. “I know things aren’t looking bright right now, but I have faith,” she told local media.
The phenomenon underscores the complex intersection of global labor markets and local spiritual practices. As one anonymous New Jersey-bound engineer who secured his visa after temple visits noted: “Eleven of us applied last year, but I was the only one who got it.” Temple authorities report record attendance, with many visitors traveling cross-country to participate in rituals they view as complementary to the official application process.
