The Bush administration is planning to propose a way to make it easier for immigrants to find work legally in the United States.
Republican officials say President Bush is preparing to send to Congress recommendations for an immigration policy that helps match willing employers with willing employees.
But Mr. Bush has said he is firmly against "blanket amnesty," or a mass legalization for undocumented people living in the United States.
The White House has not provided many details of the proposal. But it is expected to draw on an immigration bill proposed by Arizona Senator John McCain. The bill calls for the creation of an electronic job registry that would allow U.S. employers to post jobs for American and foreign workers.
The bill would also create a new type of temporary work visa.
Mexican President Vicente Fox has tried to improve the status of the estimated three million illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States
Mr. Fox has pushed for an immigration agreement with the United States since he took office three years ago. But bilateral talks have stalled mainly because of U.S. security concerns in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.