Employers struggling to fill certain jobs — washing dishes, cleaning hotels, caring for the elderly — could soon get help now that business groups and labor unions have agreed on a plan to allow thousands of new low-skilled foreign workers into the workforce.

The deal still needs final agreement from lawmakers. It's one of the last major hurdles to completing immigration overhaul legislation. The broader measure would address the status of the 11 million immigrants who either arrived in the U.S. illegally or overstayed their visas.

The new program is crucial for companies like Medicalodges Inc. The Kansas-based company wants foreign workers to help run its chain of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities because it can't find Americans to fill certain jobs in spite of incentives.