“We will deny your visa if we believe your primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States.”
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. Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent. #VisaWiseTravelSmart… pic.twitter.com/9qaPSmpJLL
— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) July 28, 2025
The United States government has announced it will deny visas to foreign nationals whose primary purpose of travel is to give birth on American soil in order to secure citizenship for their children, a practice known as “birth tourism.”
In a statement on Monday, the US Mission in Nigeria said consular officers have been instructed to reject applications if they suspect such intent.
“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.
“Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent.”
A message posted on X reiterated: “We will deny your visa if we believe your primary purpose of travel is to give birth… This is not accepted.”
The US, under the 14th Amendment, grants automatic citizenship to children born on its soil, a policy critics say has fueled costly birth tourism schemes.