US Revokes More Than 6,000 Visas Over Alleged Birth Tourism Activities

Washington: The US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 visas belonging to foreign nationals accused of engaging in or facilitating birth tourism, as the Trump administration steps up efforts to curb the practice.

In a statement posted on its official X account on Thursday, the department said its Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force had crossed the 6,000 mark in visa revocations.

“The Department of State's Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has now revoked more than 6,000 visas from foreigners who engaged in or facilitated birth tourism,” the department said, adding that it was working to identify and hold accountable those involved in the practice.

The latest figure represents an increase from the more than 4,000 visa revocations reported by the department in an October 31 update. However, as both announcements cited figures exceeding specific thresholds, the exact number of additional revocations cannot be established.

In its October statement, the department had disclosed that more than 700 of the revoked visas belonged to Chinese nationals. The latest announcement did not provide a country-wise breakdown.

Birth tourism refers to the practice of travelling to another country primarily to give birth there so that the child can acquire citizenship by birth. In the United States, children born on American soil generally acquire US citizenship under the country's constitutional framework, subject to applicable exceptions.

The State Department has maintained that travelling to the US primarily to secure citizenship for a child through birth is not a permissible reason for obtaining a B-category visitor visa.

Under an existing rule, consular officers may presume that an applicant intends to engage in birth tourism if there are reasons to believe she will give birth in the United States during her proposed stay. The applicant can rebut this presumption by providing evidence to the contrary.

The policy does not change the existing rules governing the acquisition of US citizenship by birth.

The department established its Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force on August 12, announcing at the time that more than 600 visas had already been revoked worldwide.

On September 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced additional visa restrictions targeting individuals who knowingly engage in or facilitate birth tourism. Certain family members of those involved may also fall within the scope of the restrictions.

The department has also introduced an online portal to receive information about suspected visa fraud.

The latest announcement concerns visa revocations and does not, by itself, mean that all affected individuals have been deported or convicted of any offence.

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