US embassy warns Indians against birth tourism, says visas will be denied

The US Embassy in India has warned that tourist visas will be denied if officers believe applicants intend to give birth in America for their child to obtain citizenship, reiterating restrictions

The United States will deny tourist visas to applicants intending to give birth in the country with the aim of securing American citizenship for their child, the US Embassy in India said on Thursday.

 

“US consular officers will deny tourist visa applications if they believe the primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to obtain US citizenship for the child. This is not permitted,” the Embassy said in a social media post on X.

 

This is not the first time the US government has made such an announcement. Earlier this year, the US Mission to Nigeria also warned: “Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have US citizenship is not permitted”.

 

 

The US State Department has previously termed such travel as “birth tourism”, saying consular officers will deny all such visa applications.

 

What is birth tourism?

Under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, anyone born on US soil is automatically granted citizenship, regardless of the parents’ immigration status.

 

US President Donald Trump has been a long-time critic of the practice, describing it as the misuse of citizenship laws. The White House has also previously claimed that some organised groups have been helping women exploit a loophole to obtain citizenship for their babies.

 

Trump also passed an executive order earlier this year seeking to end birthright citizenship. The order stated that a child born in the US is not a citizen if the mother does not have legal immigration status or is in the country legally but temporarily, and the father is not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. However, following multiple suits, a US federal appeals court declared the order unconstitutional.