The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a stern warning to Nigerians intending to travel to the U.S. primarily to give birth in order to secure American citizenship for their children, a practice commonly referred to as “birth tourism.”
In a post shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the U.S. Mission emphasized that using a visa for the primary purpose of childbirth in the United States violates U.S. 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,” the statement read. “Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent.”
This development follows increased scrutiny of visa applications and a tightening of enforcement mechanisms surrounding birth tourism. U.S. authorities have expressed growing concern over the abuse of visa privileges for the purpose of obtaining citizenship by birth.
The warning also comes in the wake of recent changes to U.S. visa policy affecting Nigerian citizens. The U.S. Department of State earlier announced a revision to its visa reciprocity arrangement, limiting most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians to a single entry with a validity period of three months.
According to the U.S. government, the updated visa policy aligns with global security standards and is intended to safeguard the integrity of its immigration system.
Nigerians applying for U.S. visas are therefore advised to ensure that the purpose of their travel aligns strictly with the declared intentions in their visa applications. Any perceived attempt to exploit the system could result in visa denial or other immigration consequences.
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