LOS ANGELES, Aug 5: For the first time since the 9/11 attacks, several Republicans in Congress are pushing for broad legislation that would regulate the flow of foreign workers into the US and potentially legalize millions of illegal employees, but at the same time drastically change the laws for H1B visas and L visas.

Senator John McCain and Representatives Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, all Republicans from Arizona, introduced bills in July that would grant permanent residency over several years to foreign workers who enter the country legally and to illegal workers already in the US. Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, also introduced a guest worker bill last month.

The measures have been criticized by liberal advocacy groups who contend that they do too little for immigrants and by conservative Republicans who say they go too far. White House officials say they have not taken a stance on the bills, and their proponents do not expect them to pass this year.

But critics on both sides of the political divide said the proposals were still significant because they constituted the first time Republicans in Congress had pushed aggressively for comprehensive changes in immigration laws since talks on the issue between President Bush and President Vicente Fox of Mexico collapsed after the Sept. 11 attacks.

On the other hand, the US Senate is currently looking to change the laws of H1B working visas and also impose a quota system on issuance of new L1 visas. It is also considering to reduce the length of L1 visa from seven years to just five years.

The bills would allow the number of worker visas to be determined by the demand for workers. Jobs listed on a Labour Department registry for 14 days and not filled by Americans could be given to an immigrant guest worker.