By: Isuru Parakrama
August 20, Colombo (LNW): The United States Embassy in Colombo has cautioned Sri Lankan applicants that visitor visa requests may be rejected if consular officials conclude that the main reason for the proposed trip is to give birth in the US so that the child can acquire American citizenship.
The warning concerns so-called ‘birth tourism’, whereby expectant parents travel to the United States primarily for the purpose of having a child there and obtaining citizenship for the newborn. US authorities do not recognise this as a legitimate reason for issuing a visitor visa.
Under existing US visa regulations, consular officers are required to refuse a B-category visitor visa where there is sufficient reason to believe that the applicant’s principal intention is to travel to the United States for this purpose. The relevant rules were introduced in 2020 through changes to the regulations governing B non-immigrant visas.
The Embassy also stressed that obtaining a visa does not automatically guarantee admission to the United States. Travellers remain subject to inspection by US Customs and Border Protection officers upon arrival, who make the final decision on whether an individual can enter the country.
The latest reminder reflects continued efforts by US authorities to ensure that visitor visas are used only for purposes permitted under the applicable immigration rules, rather than for activities outside the scope of temporary tourism or visits.
Applicants are therefore being urged to ensure that the purpose stated in their visa applications accurately reflects their intended travel and complies with US immigration requirements.
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.
— U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka (@USEmbSL) August 19, 2026
ඔබගේ සංචාරයේ මූලික අරමුණ එක්සත් ජනපදයේදී දරු ප්රසූතිය සිදු කර, එම… pic.twitter.com/k5UED7EY3p
