The US Embassy in India on Thursday reaffirmed its longstanding policy of denying tourist visas to applicants suspected of engaging in "birth tourism," a practice aimed at securing American citizenship for newborns.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on December 11, 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."[sic]
The announcement reiterates enforcement under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which presumes applicants intend to immigrate unless proven otherwise.
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. pic.twitter.com/Xyq4lkK6V8
December 11, 2025AdvertisementThe US is also reviewing social media accounts and online presence to cover all H-1B specialty occupation workers and their H-4 dependents as several applicants in India got emails informing them that their visa appointments had been rescheduled.
Some of the applicants, whose visa appointments were scheduled next week, have received e-mails from US immigration authorities informing them that their interviews are being pushed back as late as May next year.
AdvertisementThe mass cancellation of scheduled interviews of the H-1B visa applicants in view of the enhanced vetting measures is set to result in significant delays in their return to the US. The rescheduling of the interviews is for all applicants who were previously given appointments from December 15 onwards.
The exact number of applicants impacted by the delays in the visa interviews is not immediately known.
In a statement, a US embassy spokesperson said the Department of State conducts online presence checks for student and exchange visitor visa categories such as F, M, and J. The review will start from December 15 and will include H-1B and H-4 applicants, reported NDTV.
Indian applicants face one of the highest B-2 visa (business and tourism) denial rates globally, with adjusted refusal rates reaching 16.32% in fiscal year 2024, though some reports suggest effective denials exceed 30% due to suspicions of intent to overstay or misuse visas, as per US government statistics on travel.
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