The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a warning to Nigerians who intend to travel to the U.S. primarily to give birth in order to ensure citizenship for their child, emphasizing that the practice, commonly referred to as “birth tourism” is not allowed under U.S. immigration law.
In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, the Mission clarified that consular officers are instructed to deny visa applications from pregnant Nigerian women if there is reason to believe their main purpose is to deliver a child in the United States in order to obtain automatic U.S. citizenship for the baby.
“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 statement read.
The Mission reaffirmed that while the U.S. welcomes legitimate visitors, it will continue to enforce immigration policies that prevent visa misuse. Travelers found to be pursuing entry for reasons inconsistent with their visa category may be denied entry or have future visa eligibility affected.
“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. This is not permitted”
The warning comes after a big decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. That ruling allowed US President Donald Trump to move forward with his plan to end automatic birthright citizenship.
For almost 160 years, the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment has said “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” But President Trump signed an executive order, as one of his first acts as the 47th president, to change this. He believes the part of the amendment that says “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means it doesn’t apply to children of people who aren’t living in the US permanently or legally.
Many people and groups, including some US states and civil rights organizations, have sued against Trump’s order, saying it goes against the Constitution. Three federal judges had ruled against Trump and issued nationwide injunctions to block his orders from taking effect.
However, the Supreme Court’s ruling on June 27 was a win for President Trump. The court said that judges generally shouldn’t issue “universal injunctions” that stop presidential actions across the whole country. This decision means Trump’s birthright citizenship order can now start in 30 days in the 28 states that weren’t part of the lawsuits. The Supreme Court will decide later if the birthright citizenship order itself is constitutional.
It’s not just Nigeria getting this warning. Other countries like Uganda, Jamaica, and Caribbean nations have also seen similar statements from US embassies. For example, on July 1, the US embassy in Uganda warned its citizens about traveling to the US just to give birth, noting that some parents use government aid for medical costs, which American taxpayers pay for. They also said such parents might not be able to get their visas renewed in the future. The US embassy in Sri Lanka also issued a similar warning
