The warning, delivered via a tweet from the official handle of the U.S. Mission on X (formerly Twitter), explicitly stated that travelling on a visa with the primary purpose of childbirth—commonly referred to as “birth tourism”—is not permitted.
“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 U.S. Mission stated.
“Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent.”
The development comes amid heightened scrutinyof visa applications and increased efforts by U.S. authorities to clamp down on visa misuse. The practice of birth tourism has long raised concerns within U.S. immigration circles, as children born on American soil automatically acquire U.S. citizenship under the 14th Amendment.
The U.S. Mission’s statement, accompanied by the hashtag #VisaWiseTravelSmart, serves as a broader reminder of the consequences of misrepresenting travel intentions during visa applications.
In an earlier move, the U.S. Department of State had revised its visa reciprocity policy for Nigeria, limiting most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens to single-entry visas valid for just three months.
The U.S. government reiterated that these policies align with global technical and security benchmarks and are aimed at safeguarding the integrity of its immigration processes.
