Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington: Former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney has thrown his weight behind the H1B visa programme stressing that bringing high skilled workers on a permanent basis to the US will be beneficial to the economy.

Romney has said that while he is for increasing the quota for H1B visa, a majority of whose aspirants are Indians, the exact figures would depend on a number of things including the strength of the US economy and the implications for the local workforce.

"I like H1B visas. I like the idea of the best and brightest in the world coming here. I'd rather have them come here permanently rather than come and go, but I believe our visa programme is designed to help us solve gaps in our employment pool," he said.

The Republican contended that in the "competitive" global environment, the US would stay the most powerful nation in the world only with superior technology and innovation.

Source : PTI