The key facts

  • The US State Department revoked more than 6,000 visas linked to birth tourism
  • A special task force was created on August 12, 2026
  • On October 31, more than 4,000 revoked visas were reported — the figure has grown

More than 6,000 visas revoked over birth tourism

The US State Department announced the revocation of more than 6,000 visas held by foreign nationals who participated in birth tourism or facilitated its organization. The statement was published on the department's page on the social network X.

What the task force is doing

According to the department, a special task force on preventing birth tourism is identifying individuals involved in this practice and taking measures to hold them accountable. The group was created on August 12, 2026 and is engaged in studying the trips and activities of visa holders, revoking the visas of involved individuals, and identifying networks that organize birth tourism.

What counts as birth tourism

Birth tourism is travel by foreigners to the US for the purpose of giving birth to a child on the country's territory so that the child receives American citizenship. According to the State Department's position, such a purpose of travel is not an acceptable basis for issuing a tourist visa.

The numbers are growing

This is already the second such statement by the department: on October 31 the department reported the revocation of more than 4,000 visas linked to birth tourism. In the latest message the figure exceeded 6,000, meaning that between the two statements the number of revoked visas grew by more than 2,000. The department did not specify in these messages which countries' citizens were affected by the revocations.