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General News of Friday, 24 January 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

US fight birth tourism by preventing pregnant women from getting visa

Descriptive purpose only Descriptive purpose only

The US State Department has announced on Thursday that the country "will no longer issue temporary visitor (B-1/B-2) visas to aliens seeking to enter the United States for 'birth tourism".

'Visitors to the US will be denied temporary visas if it's found that the primary purpose of travel is for obtaining US citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States' a new State Department communique read.

A cable made available to press prohibits consular officers from asking women if they are pregnant unless they have a specific reason to believe so.

"You must not ask a visa applicant whether they are pregnant unless you have a specific articulable reason to believe they may be pregnant and planning to give birth in the United States. You should document any such reason in your case notes," reads the cable.

"You must not, as a matter of course, ask all female applicants (or any specific sub-sets of applicants) whether they are pregnant or intend to become pregnant."

Those going into the US with medical needs will have to be treated like any other foreigner going to the US with such need. They must also provide that they have the means to cater for transportation and living expenses.

“Closing this glaring immigration loophole will combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice,” the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement.

“It will also defend American taxpayers from having their hard-earned dollars siphoned away to finance the direct and downstream costs associated with birth tourism. The integrity of American citizenship must be protected.”