US Announces Fresh Visa Restrictions On Birth Tourism Operators

The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting individuals and businesses involved in commercial “birth tourism,” particularly those accused of helping foreign nationals travel to the country primarily to give birth so their children can obtain U.S. citizenship.

The new measure, announced on September 23, 2026, targets people who knowingly participate in or facilitate commercial birth-tourism activities. Those affected may include operators of birth-tourism networks, visa agents accused of helping applicants provide false information, and foreign medical providers involved in facilitating such schemes.

According to the U.S. government, some networks advertise childbirth arrangements to foreign nationals and charge substantial fees for services connected to giving birth in the United States.

The administration said the restrictions are intended to protect the integrity of the U.S. visa and immigration system and prevent fraudulent use of government benefits.

The State Department has also maintained that travelling to the United States primarily to give birth so a child can obtain citizenship is not a permissible purpose for a visitor visa.

The latest policy therefore focuses specifically on people who facilitate commercial birth-tourism arrangements, rather than creating a new visitor-visa category for childbirth.