- Offenders risk visa denial
- Travel intent now under closer scrutiny
- Public warned via official channels
The United States has issued a strong warning against “bith tourism,” stating that any visa applicant found intending to give birth in the U.S. to obtain automatic citizenship for their child will be denied entry.
This statement was released by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @USinNigeria, as part of what appears to be a broader awareness campaign aimed at curbing visa misuse.
The U.S. government emphasized In the post that traveling to the United States primarily to give birth violates visa regulations and will not be tolerated. “Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have U.S. citizenship is not permitted,” the mission stated.
According to the post, Consular officers are now under instruction to deny visa applications if there is reason to believe that childbirth is the primary purpose of the trip. The warning was reinforced by a graphic accompanying the tweet, which read: “We will deny your visa if we believe your primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to get U.S. citizenship for your child. This is not permitted.”
The hashtags#VisaWiseTravelSmart and #USVisa were included to further drive home the message and encourage responsible travel planning.
Birth tourism has long been a controversial subject in U.S. immigration discourse. Under U.S. law, any child born on American soil automatically gains citizenship, regardless of the parents’ immigration status. This has led to some foreign nationals attempting to exploit the rule by traveling to the U.S. for childbirth.
The new warning underscores the U.S. government’s effort to tighten its borders and maintain the integrity of its visa system. It also serves as a caution to Nigerians and other nationals to avoid misrepresenting their travel intentions during the visa application process.
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