
The Trump administration is planning to come out with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting “birth tourism,” in which women travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children can have legal status.
Under the new rules it would make it more difficult for pregnant women to travel on a tourist visa. Women would have to convince a consular officer that they have another legitimate reason to come to the U.S.
Consular officers would have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the U.S. primarily to give birth.
Reports say, birth tourism has been a ongoing for a long time now, and has even become a money-making business. There have been multiple arrests for operators of birth tourism agencies for visa fraud or tax evasion.
Although coming to the U.S. to give birth is fundamentally legal, the draft rule is “intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry,” a State Department spokesperson said.