The US embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados has issued a reminder warning that people who intend to travel to the US on a tourist visa to give birth so their children will have citizenship will not be permitted.
Over the years many people, including Dominicans, have traveled to the US on various visas to give birth, referred to as birth tourism, taking advantage of the country’s birthright principle that says anyone born in the US is a US citizen.
In a bulletin issued on Thursday, May 8, the embassy said traveling to the US to give birth on a tourist visa is not allowed.
“Using your tourist visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have US citizenship is not permitted,” it said.
Additionally, it said people applying for tourist visas for that purpose will be turned down.
“US consular officers will deny visa applications if the belief [is that]the primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to obtain US citizenship for your child,” it said. “This is not permitted.”
The bulletin from the embassy appears to be a reminder since the US Department of State (DOS) published a final rule effective January 24, 2020, that amended regulations for those who want to visit the US on a tourist visa.
The rule explicitly said that consular officers should deny such visas to those who want to visit the US for “the primary purpose of obtaining US citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States.”
According to the Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C., every year, 33,000 babies are born in the US to mothers who are visiting the country as tourists — on top of hundreds of thousands more born by women on temporary visas and illegal aliens.
“As a result, birth tourism has provoked numerous discussions about tightening regulations to ensure that those who enter the US come to the country for legitimate reasons and are not compromising national security,” it said.
The matter of birthright citizenship has gained more momentum when on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end universal birthright citizenship and limit it at birth to people with at least one parent who is a permanent resident or citizen.
Although a federal judge has placed the order on hold, if upheld it could have a great impact on birthright citizenship in the US.