The United States has warned Nigerians seeking to obtain visas primarily to give birth on American soil that such applications will be rejected.
The US Mission in Nigeria issued the caution in a statement on its official X handle, stressing that the practice of birth tourism contravenes immigration laws.
“We will deny your visa if we believe your primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to get US citizenship for your child,” the mission declared, reaffirming that such intent violates visa regulations. “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,” it added.
Birth tourism refers to the practice where foreign nationals, often pregnant women, travel to a country with birthright citizenship laws — such as the US — solely to deliver their babies. The child then automatically acquires citizenship, even if the parents are not residents or citizens. This has been a point of contention in US immigration discourse for years.
In recent years, American policymakers have grown increasingly critical of the practice, especially under the administration of former President Donald Trump. Early in his tenure, Trump introduced an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants, with enforcement scheduled to begin in February 2025.
The executive order, however, has faced legal challenges. A new setback for the policy came on Friday, when a federal judge issued a nationwide injunction against its implementation. This marks the third such block following a significant Supreme Court ruling in June that curtailed lower courts’ power to enforce nationwide bans.
States opposing the order argued that it was not only unconstitutional but would also jeopardize millions of dollars in state funding for services tied to citizenship status, including healthcare coverage.
Judge Joseph Laplante, in his ruling, emphasized the gravity of revoking birthright citizenship without due legislative process. He described US citizenship as “the greatest privilege that exists in the world” and noted that sudden changes to such a long-standing policy could cause “irreparable harm” to affected individuals.
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