US reasserts ban on birth-tourism travel as citizenship battle reaches Supreme Court

The United States on Thursday reiterated its stance that tourist visa applications will be refused if consular officers determine that the primary purpose of travel is to give birth in the country to secure American citizenship for the child.

“This is not permitted,” the US Embassy in India said in a post on X, underscoring Washington’s ongoing scrutiny of suspected birth tourism cases.

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.

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— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) December 11, 2025

The clarification comes amid a wider national debate over citizenship laws.

On January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas.

The move marked the administration’s most sweeping challenge yet to the 14th Amendment, which has guaranteed citizenship by birth on American soil for more than 125 years.

The Supreme Court has now agreed to examine the constitutionality of the order, making birthright citizenship the first immigration policy of Trump’s second term to reach the nation’s highest court.

A ruling is expected to shape not only immigration enforcement but the future of millions who rely on the amendment’s protections.

Meanwhile, Trump announced on Wednesday that his long-promised "gold card" was officially going on sale, offering legal status and an eventual pathway to US citizenship for individuals paying $1 million and corporations ponying up twice that per foreign-born employee.

A website accepting applications went live as Trump revealed the start of the programme while surrounded by business leaders in the White House's Roosevelt Room. It is meant to replace EB-5 visas, which Congress created in 1990 to generate foreign investment and had been available to people who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people.

Trump sees the new version as a way for the US to attract and retain top talent, all while generating revenue for federal coffers. He has been promoting the gold card programme for months, and once suggested that each card would cost $5 million, though he more recently revised that to the $1 million and $2 million pricing scheme.