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U.S. issues new warning against birth tourism
It added that consular officers will deny visa applications if they have reason to believe this is the applicant’s intent.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 01, Sep 2025
- 15:34 EDT
- 28
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Barbara, a 35-year old pregnant asylum-seeker from Cuba, poses for a portrait in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., May 9, 2025. / REUTERS/Kevin Wurm
The U.S. Department of State issued a warning against the use of American visas for birth tourism in the United States.
“Using your U.S. 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 Bureau of Consular Affairs said in a statement posted on social media. It added that consular officers will deny visa applications if they have reason to believe this is the applicant’s intent.
Also Read: Pregnant immigrants warily eye US Supreme Court birthright citizenship case
The warning comes as legislative efforts intensify to curb birth tourism. In May 2025, Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced the Ban Birth Tourism Act, seeking to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make individuals inadmissible if their primary purpose of travel is childbirth intended to secure U.S. citizenship. The proposal includes exceptions for women traveling for documented medical reasons.
President Donald Trump signed executive order 14160, Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, on Jan. 20. The order sought to end automatic citizenship for children born to individuals who are temporarily or unlawfully present in the United States, including those on tourist visas.
Although several federal judges issued injunctions blocking its enforcement, the Supreme Court has allowed parts of the order to move forward in certain jurisdictions. Legal challenges remain ongoing.
The policy against “birth tourism” was formalized in January 2020, when the U.S. amended its visa rules to prohibit issuance if the main purpose of travel was childbirth. Since then, the government has increased enforcement through stricter visa interviews, tighter entry inspections, and in some cases, post-arrival monitoring.
Earlier this year, a California-based maternity service operator was sentenced to 41 months in prison for helping over 100 Chinese women fraudulently obtain visas to give birth in the United States. Prosecutors described such operations as part of a multimillion-dollar underground industry, with “maternity hotels” offering packages worth tens of thousands of dollars.
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