The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a strong warning to Nigerians planning to travel to the U.S. solely to give birth and obtain American citizenship for their children. In a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the U.S. Mission emphasized that using a visa primarily for childbirth violates U.S. immigration laws. “Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have U.S. citizenship is not permitted,” the statement read. “Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent.” The warning comes as U.S. authorities intensify scrutiny of visa applications and ramp up enforcement against so-called “birth tourism” — the act of traveling to the United States to give birth in order for the child to acquire automatic citizenship. It is worth recalling that the U.S. Department of State previously revised its visa reciprocity policy, stating that most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be limited to single-entry with a validity of three months. The U.S. government reiterated that its visa policies are guided by global technical and security standards designed to uphold the integrity of its immigration system.