Many couples enter the United States with the intention that their baby be born on American soil and thus be able to obtain immigration benefits.
If this is your family’s idea… keep reading to find out the positives and negatives of that strategy.
Traveling with a Tourist Visa while pregnant
Those who enter with a tourist visa B1 / B2, laser visa or without a visa (under the Visa Waiver Program) should take into account the pros and cons of their child being born in the United States.
The government has called this plan “baby tourism” that parents often want to carry out.
Starting in January 2020, immigration officers can deny tourist visas to pregnant women suspected of entering the United States with the sole purpose of giving birth in this country.
During the appointment, women must demonstrate different types of tests or evidence of the reasons why they want to travel.
Every baby born in the United States is automatically an American citizen, except for the children of diplomats who are in the United States exercising that function. In this type of specific exception, children acquire the nationality of their parents.
Once the children are born, the birth certificate is processed and with this document, they can obtain an American passport. Children born on American soil will continue to be American citizens for life, unless they carry out some action that as a punishment results in the loss of their nationality, regardless of whether, soon after being born, they emigrate to another country.
When the child is born in the United States, parents often think that children can petition for them at any time, but this is not the case. American citizens can petition for their parents only after they turn 21 years of age.
I invite you to read our article about how to extend your tourist visa if you have not read it! Here
It is not easy for a tourist to obtain health insurance in the United States or purchase insurance that covers all medical expenses. Therefore, parents must bear some of the medical expenses that the mother and baby may need.
What happens to medical expenses in the United States?
So that you can have an idea about the medical expenses that you may have, we leave you the data obtained from the “International Federation of Health Plan” where they highlight that a natural delivery (without complications), can cost around $ 11,000 dollars. While for a cesarean section, the approximate cost is $ 52,000. Costs can vary depending on which state in the United States you give birth into, if multiple births exist, premature babies, or complications.
In the event that the parents do not have the money to pay the medical expenses, a social worker is present to have Medicaid cover those expenses. Medicaid is government insurance that covers the medical expenses of low-income American citizens and certain foreigners.
What then are the consequences of not paying medical expenses?
Without prior notice, both parent’s visas could get canceled or revoked.
Sometimes, it happens that parents go to the United States embassy in their country to renew the visa and by doing this they are automatically denied. Parents who enter with a laser visa or without a visa may also lose this benefit.
I hope you liked this information and it has been of value! We invite you to visit our page at Vargas Law Group
