The proposal would require employers to attest that they had tried to recruit American workers before bringing in additional foreigners from abroad and to pay prevailing wages. The plan would not place a restriction on the number of foreigners who could take part in the guest worker program. Those workers would not have the right to become permanent residents or citizens. The bill is silent on whether illegal immigrants already in this country should be accorded that opportunity.

Hearings on the bill may begin next week. It is a compromise measure, one intended by Specter to rally the Republicans who are on both sides of the issue.

With his draft, Mr. Specter was striving to reconcile the warring factions within his own party and address concerns raised by business leaders, labor officials and advocates for immigrants who have battled fiercely in recent months over the shape of a proposal that would radically reshape immigration policy and the workplace.

Instead of bringing harmony, the bill has engendered criticisms by all sides.

Advocates for immigrants said the plan failed to protect the rights of immigrant workers, who they argue deserve a clear path to citizenship. And the A.F.L.-C.I.O. warned that a guest worker program of unlimited scale would depress wages and working conditions while creating a perpetual underclass of foreign workers.

Here's the nitty-gritty:

Under Mr. Specter's proposal, the guest worker program would be open only to foreigners living outside the United States. Applicants would be sponsored by employers -- though they would be allowed to switch employers during their time here -- and would undergo background checks and medical screening. If approved, applicants would be allowed to bring their spouses and children to the United States.

Work permits would be granted for three years, after which the worker would have to return to his country for a year and apply again. The guest worker could then be authorized for a second and final work permit for three years.

Illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States after Jan. 4, 2004 could also participate in the guest worker program, but only if they returned home and applied from their countries.

Those illegal workers who arrived in this country before Jan. 4, 2004 could stay in this country indefinitely, provided that they underwent background checks and did not remain unemployed for 45 days or more.

The LA Times has more on the division among the GOP on immigration and Specter's bill.