The United States government has revoked more than 600 visas issued to foreign nationals including Nigerians who used tourist visas to travel to the country primarily to give birth, in a sweeping crackdown on birth tourism schemes.
The Department of State announced the action on its official X account, stating that under President Donald Trump, it was “defending the integrity of U.S. citizenship by ending illegal birth tourism schemes.”
The department made clear that no foreign national is permitted to obtain a visitor visa with the primary intent of giving birth on American soil, a practice that grants automatic citizenship to children born in the US.
In West Africa, a US embassy uncovered a sophisticated network of more than 100 foreign nationals who used fraudulent documents and visa “fixers” to secure visas for birth tourism purposes. The operation was subsequently shut down, with the embassy working alongside local authorities to identify similar cases in the region.
Across Europe, investigators linked more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases — dating back to at least 2024 — to at least six companies. Those firms were found to have coached applicants on how to answer visa interview questions, arranged accommodation in the US, and coordinated delivery plans for expectant mothers.
In North Africa, a separate US embassy revoked over 100 visas issued to parents who had travelled primarily to give birth so their children could obtain American citizenship.
“Consular officers working with law enforcement and using data analytics identified several networks abusing the system and put a stop to it,” the department stated.
The State Department said it has revoked the visas, shut down the operations involved, and permanently barred several individuals found to have committed fraud from entering the United States.
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