American embassy to block Nigerians scheming to give birth, claim U.S. citizenship for children

Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent,” the U.S. government said.

Ahmed Oluwasanjo • July 28, 2025

U.S. consulate in Lagos (Credit: The Guardian Nigeria News)

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has directed its consular to deny Nigerians travelling to America with the intent of giving birth to claim citizenship for their children.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria disclosed this in a post on X on Monday, stating that Nigerians using issued visas for delivery purposes are not permitted.

“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,” the U.S. government said.

This comes amid the President Donald Trump-led administration’s clampdown on immigration.

Mr Trump has moved to end citizenship by birth for immigrants, though there are legal battles on the matter.

Recently, the U.S. government introduced visa restrictions, reducing the five-year visa policy for Nigerians seeking non-immigrant and non-official trips to the United States to three months.

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