India, May 14 -- An American senator has slammed the misuse of the H-1B visa programme, claiming that it unfairly disadvantages American workers and while benefiting Indian nationals and large tech companies. Eric Schmitt, the Republican politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Missouri since 2023, shared a lengthy thread on X (formerly Twitter), where he said that a 'visa cartel' is operating globally and disproportionately benefits Indian employees in the United States.

Schmitt described the cartel as an interconnected system involving universities, outsourcing firms, recruiters and certain tech companies that - in his view - systematically favours foreign workers over Americans.

"Big tech companies have laid...