US Mission In Nigeria Issues Warning To Nigerians Travelling To Give Birth In The US

The United States mission in Nigeria has warned that any Nigerian planning to travel to the US primarily to give birth to secure American citizenship for their children will be rejected.
In a post on X, the US Mission stated that using a visa for the main purpose of childbirth is prohibited under US immigration policy.

“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,” the US Mission said.

This warning is coming following the rising scrutiny of visa applications and growing enforcement around what is informally referred to as “birth tourism”, the practice of traveling to the US to give birth so the child obtains automatic citizenship.

Recall that the United States Department of State had also revised its visa reciprocity policy, announcing that most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.

The US maintained that its visa policies are based on global technical and security benchmarks aimed at protecting the integrity of its immigration systems.
The United States of America has vowed to withhold visa approval from Nigerians whose sole intent of travelling to the US is for the primary purpose of birth tourism. The US Mission in Nigeria issued the warning yesterday in a post on its official X handle, saying the practice is not permitted in the US.