India, April 29 -- A coalition of Republican legislators has put forth what immigration specialists are describing as the most forceful legislative challenge to the H-1B visa program ever seen. Below are the details of the bill's proposals, the individuals supporting it, and the potential implications for the hundreds of thousands of skilled foreign workers, a significant number of whom are Indians, who depend on this program.

The H-1B program is designed for employers who wish to recruit nonimmigrant aliens for positions in specialty occupations or as fashion models of exceptional merit and capability. A specialty occupation necessitates the application of a specialized body of knowledge and requires at least a bachelor's degree or its ...