US embassy warns Ugandans against birth tourism

KAMPALA - The United States has issued a warning that it will no longer grant visas to Ugandan nationals intending to travel primarily to give birth in the country.

In a message posted on its social media platforms on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, the US Mission in Uganda stated that using a visa to travel for the sole purpose of giving birth so that the child obtains American citizenship is not permitted.

“Attention U.S. visa holders: Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have U.S. citizenship is not permitted. Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent. Many Ugandan parents with tourist visas travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth, and they use government assistance to pay for their medical care. These costs are passed on to the American taxpayer, and those parents may not be eligible to renew their visas in the future,” the statement said.

The warning follows a rise in birth tourism, a practice common among some high-profile Ugandan individuals and celebrities, who opt to give birth in the US to secure citizenship for their children.

The US recognises birthright citizenship, meaning that any child born on American soil automatically becomes a US citizen.

The announcement also comes just four days after the US Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship to proceed, pending the outcome of ongoing legal challenges.

As part of efforts to control immigration numbers, President Trump has moved to deny citizenship to children born to migrants who are in the US either illegally or on temporary visas.

The visa warning comes less than a week after the US government released new student visa guidelines requiring applicants to make their social media accounts public, as part of expanded vetting procedures.

The US Embassy in Uganda posted a public notice via X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“Starting now, if you’re applying for a student visa (F, M, or J category visa), make sure your social media accounts are set to public. This helps with the identity and admissibility checks required by U.S. law.”

The embassy warned that failing to include this information could lead to visa denial or affect eligibility for future visa applications.

“Be honest, double-check your application, and make sure everything is accurate before submitting!” the embassy advised.

A spokesperson from the US State Department added that applicants who keep their social media profiles private may be seen as trying to conceal certain activities.

“Officials had been instructed to expand the social media vetting of applicants and search for ‘any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States’,” the spokesperson noted.

Who will be affected?

The updated visa guidelines apply to applicants for F visas (used by students), M visas (for vocational students), and J visas (for exchange students), according to a State Department spokesperson.

In May this year, a State Department directive instructed all US embassies to halt the scheduling of visa interviews for foreign students while the social media screening policy was being prepared for implementation.

The department noted that visa interviews already scheduled would proceed, but the move triggered concern among students who had not yet secured appointments.

This directive is one in a series of recent policy shifts targeting international students enrolled at US universities.

The Trump administration also introduced new measures aimed at Chinese students, focusing on those in “critical fields” or linked to the Chinese Communist Party, and announced increased scrutiny for future visa applicants from China and Hong Kong.

In May, the Department of Homeland Security barred Harvard University from enrolling international students, forcing affected students to either transfer or leave the country.

The White House defended the move, citing national security concerns and claiming that Harvard was not properly vetting international scholars.

However, on Monday, US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to stop Harvard from hosting international students.

“This case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism,” Burroughs said in her 44-page ruling.