US Mission: Birth Tourism for Citizenship Is Illegal
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has issued a caution to Nigerians, particularly expectant mothers, against traveling to the United States with the sole intention of giving birth to obtain U.S. citizenship for their children.
In a post shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the Mission emphasized that “birth tourism” is not permitted under U.S. visa regulations and could lead to automatic visa denial if such intent is suspected.
“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 statement read.
It further noted that U.S. consular officers are instructed to deny visa applications where birth tourism appears to be the main motivation, potentially saving applicants the financial and emotional cost of a rejected application.
While this is rooted in immigration law, it raises broader questions about how such policies intersect with a child’s right to nationality and identity, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Articles 7 and 8).
