The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals who knowingly engage in or facilitate “birth tourism” to the country.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the new policy on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The policy targets owners, operators and managers of commercial birth tourism networks, visa “fixers” who coach applicants to commit fraud, foreign medical providers who knowingly facilitate such travel, and others accused of supporting or enabling commercial birth tourism.
Rubio alleged that foreign commercial birth tourism networks have exploited the US immigration system by arranging for foreign nationals to travel to the country to give birth for the purpose of obtaining US citizenship for their children.
He said some of the networks allegedly coach applicants to provide false information on visa applications and charge clients tens of thousands of dollars for travel and childbirth arrangements.
“This policy targets individuals who knowingly engage in, have engaged in, or facilitate birth tourism to the United States,” Rubio said.
The restrictions may also cover certain family members of individuals targeted under the policy, according to the State Department.
The announcement does not amount to a blanket ban on pregnant foreigners travelling to the United States. However, the State Department already states that using a visitor visa primarily to travel to the US to give birth and obtain citizenship for a child is not a permissible purpose for the visa.
The latest action follows a broader effort by the Trump administration to crack down on what it describes as birth tourism and visa fraud.
In August, the State Department announced the creation of a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to coordinate efforts involving birth tourism and related visa violations.
The new restrictions are part of the administration’s wider immigration enforcement measures and are separate from the legal rules governing US citizenship at birth.
