The base text of the World Bank Accountability Act already includes
several additions to the chairman's annual report. This amendment would
make one addition to that report. The amendment would require the
chairman to report on the detailed actions undertaken by the World Bank
to institute certain protections for G-5 nonimmigrant visa holders and
inform these individuals of the rights afforded to them by the William
Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. That legislation was sponsored by my good friend and former chairman of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman. G-5 nonimmigrant visas are reserved for foreign domestic employees of
diplomats and international organizations, such as the World Bank. Prior to the enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims
Protection Reauthorization Act, these foreign domestic employees had
very few protections. However, the bill enacted several important reforms on how we prevent
abuse and trafficking of foreign domestic employees in the United
States on G-5 nonimmigrant visas. The law mandated that all such visa holders have an employer-employee
contract that includes, inter alia:
One, an agreement by the employer to abide by all Federal, State, and
local laws;
Two, information on the frequency and form of payment, work duties,
weekly work hours, holidays, sick days, and vacation days; and
Three, have an agreement by the employer not to withhold the
passport, employment contract, or other personal property and documents
of the employee. Among other things, the law also permits these foreign domestic
employees to remain legally and work in the United States while seeking
legal redress against their employers, as required. As a Representative for Northern Virginia, I count among the
residents of my district many of the hardworking and dedicated
employees of the World Bank who work in offices throughout the D.C.
metropolitan area.
Keywords matched
visa visas