U.S. Issues Warning on Birth Tourism, Plans Strict Visa Denials to Prevent Citizenship Abuse

The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a public warning that individuals seeking to travel primarily to give birth in the U.S. to secure automatic citizenship for their children will face strict visa denials.

This announcement, shared on the official X (formerly Twitter) account @USinNigeria, underscores Washington’s intensified efforts to combat immigration-related fraud.

According to the statement, consular officers are instructed to reject applications where there is a reasonable belief that childbirth-driven travel is the applicant’s main purpose.

The embassy made it clear that “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.”

An accompanying visual reiterated this policy, stating, “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.”