Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 13: The US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 visas belonging to foreign nationals who allegedly engaged in or facilitated birth tourism, according to an announcement on its official X account.
“The Department of State's Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has now revoked more than 6,000 visas from foreigners who engaged in or facilitated birth tourism. We are identifying and holding accountable everyone involved in this illicit practice,” the department said on Thursday.
The latest figure is higher than the more than 4,000 birth-tourism-related visa revocations announced by the department in a post on October 31. However, since both figures were expressed as thresholds, they do not indicate the exact number of additional visas revoked.
In its October announcement, the department had stated that more than 700 of the revoked visas belonged to Chinese nationals. The latest statement did not provide a breakdown based on nationality.
The announcement relates specifically to visa revocations and does not, by itself, establish that the individuals concerned were deported or convicted of any offence.
Under a State Department rule, travelling to the United States “with the primary purpose of obtaining US citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States is an impermissible basis for the issuance of a B nonimmigrant visa”.
The rule introduced a rebuttable presumption regarding birth tourism when a consular officer has reason to believe that a visa applicant intends to give birth during her stay in the US. However, it did not bring about any change in the country's citizenship laws or the manner in which US citizenship is acquired.
The State Department established its Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force on August 12, announcing at the time that it had already revoked more than 600 visas worldwide.
Subsequently, on September 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions targeting individuals who knowingly engage in or facilitate birth tourism. Certain family members of those involved could also be covered under the restrictions.
The department also launched an online portal to enable the public to report suspected visa fraud.