Nigerian visa applicants travelling primarily to give birth in the U.S. to secure citizenship for their child will be denied entry — U.S warns

Nigerian visa applicants travelling primarily to give birth in the U.S. to secure citizenship for their child will be denied entry — U.S warns

The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a warning to visa applicants, cautioning that those traveling primarily to give birth in the U.S. in order to secure American citizenship for their child will be denied entry.

The notice, shared via the official U.S. Mission X (formerly Twitter) handle, @USinNigeria, on Monday, emphasized that such travel intentions violate U.S. visa regulations. The warning is part of an ongoing campaign to combat visa misuse and maintain the integrity of the immigration system.

“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 Mission wrote in the post, adding that consular officers are instructed to deny visa applications when there is reasonable belief that the applicant intends to give birth in the U.S.

An accompanying graphic further clarified the policy, stating: “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 post was tagged with hashtags #VisaWiseTravelSmart and #USVisa, reinforcing the importance of transparency and legal compliance during the visa application process.

This development is a direct response to the long-standing trend of “birth tourism,” where pregnant women travel to the U.S. with the aim of having their children born on American soil, thereby granting them automatic citizenship under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

While the U.S. does not ban childbirth during visits, officials stress that applicants must have a legitimate and clearly defined reason for travel, and the intent to give birth solely to gain citizenship can disqualify an applicant.

The U.S. Mission encouraged Nigerians and other applicants to be honest during visa interviews and to avoid attempting to circumvent immigration laws.