The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a warning to Nigerian citizens particularly pregnant women advising them against travelling to the U.S. with the sole aim of giving birth in order to obtain American citizenship for their children.
In a post shared Wednesday on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the U.S. Mission emphasized that entering the country for the primary purpose of childbirth violates U.S. visa policies and may lead to automatic refusal.
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“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.
The Mission further explained that consular officers are empowered to deny visas if they suspect that a prospective traveller’s intent aligns with so-called “birth tourism.”
“Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent,” the post added.
The advisory aims to prevent unnecessary financial loss and emotional distress resulting from denied visa applications.
