United States tightens visa scrutiny to prevent birth tourism
Visa
Any application suspected of misusing a tourist visa for the primary purpose of travel to give birth and secure citizenship will be immediately rejected.
In a recent post on X, the United States Embassy in India stated that Indian nationals traveling, or suspected to be traveling, to the United States with the intention of giving birth solely to obtain American citizenship for their child will not be permitted.
The Embassy noted that some individuals are attempting to use this route as a shortcut to secure U.S. citizenship for the child. With tighter online checks for both tourist and work visa applications from Indian applicants, any application suspected of misusing a tourist visa for the primary purpose of travel to give birth and secure citizenship will be immediately rejected.
According to the Embassy, each visa application undergoes a detailed security review, which is another measure intended to protect American taxpayers and communities.
Effective December 15, the new State Department rule will expand online reviews and require all H-1B workers and H-4 dependents to make their online accounts accessible for visa review. The U.S. Embassy in India has also rescheduled a significant number of H-1B and H-4 interviews, with some now pushed to mid-2026.
