“I want my kids to have those opportunities I didn’t get"
Families in India are increasingly undertaking birth tourism for a number of reasons.
Birth tourism is viewed as a vital investment and opportunity. However, critics argue birth tourism exploits legal systems and creates dilemmas for destination countries.
There have been calls by some for a crackdown on visa and immigration policies that enable birth tourism in places like the US and Canada.
Indian families travel to, for example, the US, UK and Canada to secure better opportunities and long-term benefits for their children.
In recent years, families in India turning to birth tourism have gained significant attention.
DESIblitz explores why some families in India are turning to birth tourism.
What is Birth Tourism?
Birth tourism involves travelling to another country specifically to give birth to secure citizenship for the baby.
Many countries offer birthright citizenship. Some of the most popular include the US, UK, Canada, Argentina, and Costa Rica.
Countries usually apply one of two rights to determine a child’s citizenship at birth: jus soli (right of soil) or jus sanguinis (right of blood).
Birth tourism focuses on the right of jus soli.
The process of jus soli is generally available to anyone who has a child within the territory of a country with birthright citizenship, even if they are a temporary resident or there illegally.
The only people whose children do not qualify for instant citizenship are diplomats.
Birthright citizenship grants citizenship to children born there, regardless of their parents’ nationality.
This policy is said to be a significant driver of birth tourism from India.
The cost involved in birth tourism means that it is not a practice all Indian families can undertake.
According to The Economic Times, birth tourism for Indian families can cost from £18,000 to over £30,000 (Rs. 20 to 40 Lakh) in destinations like the US.
Meanwhile, it has been estimated that Indian families going to Canada can spend over £9,000 to £23,000 (Rs. 10 to 25 Lakh).
What motivates Birth Tourism from India?
Parents who decide to give birth in a specific country do so to capitalise on the significant advantages of their child’s place of birth.
Birth tourism can be motivated by the desire to secure future access to education, work, and healthcare. Some could be motivated by the child’s future ability to sponsor family immigration.
Families may opt for countries with advanced medical facilities. Thus ensuring optimal care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.
In 2023, obstetrician-gynaecologist (OB-GYN) Dr Simrit Brar was one of many Canadian doctors who claimed to have noticed an increase in birth tourists in Alberta:
“That majority said their goal was to get Canadian citizenship for their newborns.
“Many saw it as an easier route to citizenship for their kids than applying through the typical process.
“Others either wouldn’t tell us their motivations or said they wanted to somehow benefit from quality Canadian healthcare.”
Brar asserted that many birth tourists in the Canadian Calgary region came from Nigeria.
She added:
“Smaller portions came from the Middle East, China, India and Mexico.”
Parents anticipate improved economic prospects for their children stemming from the host country’s economy, employment opportunities, and higher living standards.
One Reddit user of Indian origin in 2021 wrote:
“I live in the US and want my children to be born there and not in India. Let’s face it – a US passport opens up a lot of opportunities.
“You don’t need a visa to travel to over 100 countries (including EU).
“You can access world-class education and career opportunities with lesser effort – not saying you don’t have to work hard, but you don’t have to work as hard as someone with, say, an Indian passport.
“I want my kids to have those opportunities I didn’t get to have because of my citizenship.
“Anyone engaging in birth tourism is not wrong because every parent wants their kids to have the best opportunities and advantages in life, and if securing a foreign passport is a way to do it, so be it.”
This highlights the symbolic prestige and socio-economic benefits associated with certain passports.
Possessing citizenship in a country with strong diplomatic ties and international influence can open doors to global opportunities, including ease of travel and potential career advantages.
By choosing to give birth in a particular country, Indian families aim to leverage the inherent advantages tied to their child’s place of birth.
In the UK, Indians visiting the country who plan to have children must be ‘settled’. This means having indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or permanent residency.
This status allows a person to live in the UK without any immigration restrictions. Settled individuals can stay indefinitely and work or study without limitations.
Eligibility pathways for an ILR include a work visa – after working in the UK for a qualifying period (e.g. Skilled Worker visa for 5 years); family route – being the spouse, partner, or dependent of a British citizen or settled person; long residence – living legally in the UK for 10 continuous years or investment or business – through investor or innovator visas.
Therefore, for a child to acquire British citizenship, at least one parent must hold this status or be a British citizen at the time of the child’s birth.
Tensions Around Birth Tourism
Birth tourism by Indian families has gained public, media and political attention, highlighting tensions.
In November 2024, a video went viral when a Canadian claimed that pregnant Indian women were exploiting Canadian birth clinics and hospitals.
The X user, Chad Eros, stated that Indian women fly to Canada to give birth for free and to obtain Canadian citizenship for their babies.
– Pregnant Indian Women Flying To Canada For Free Births and Canadian Citizen Babies at Tax Payer Expense
– Tonight my niece had a baby making my sister a grand parent before me. Congrats!
– The nurse told my niece that the maternity ward is full of Indian women flying to Canada… pic.twitter.com/Vfbk07AVRz— Chad Eros (@RealChadEros) November 13, 2024
His words sparked heated discussions on social media. Some criticised the practice while others did not see the problem.
One person commented: “If they have money to pay for their healthcare, what is the issue?
“Our tax dollars don’t seem to be enough revenue for the hospitals to run smoothly. I’ve had six kids and have never seen a ‘full’ maternity ward.
“If there is room to make revenue, great. When the kid grows up I’m sure they would pay their way and become a taxpayer here.
“Otherwise, they won’t be able to sponsor anyone.”
Chad made a follow-up video on November 17, 2024, to stress that birth tourism is not just about Indians coming to Canada:
“Indians are right; Indian women are not the only people taking advantage of [Canada’s] healthcare system.
“In no particular order, the top countries are Middle Eastern countries, China, Nigeria, India and Mexico.”
For Chad, the money involved in birth tourism “makes Canadians second-class citizens in their own healthcare system”.
In late 2024, US President-elect Donald Trump vowed to abolish birthright citizenship on day one of his second term.
According to Trump, the focus is on “securing borders”, in addition to stopping “illegal border crossers” from benefiting from breaking the law through their future children.
He would, in effect, also be ending birth tourism, which he stated is an “unfair practice”.
Day One Executive Order To End Citizenship for Children of Illegals and Outlaw Birth Tourism pic.twitter.com/krEstskp1B
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 10, 2024
Trump’s words have led to questions over what will happen.
If Trump ends birthright citizenship, what does this mean for those Indian children already born via birth tourism?
Some are questioning the credibility of Trump’s words.
Alex Nowrasteh, Vice President of the pro-immigration Cato Institute, called Trump’s plan “a non-starter”. He added:
“I don’t take his statements very seriously. He has been saying things like this for almost a decade.
“He didn’t do anything to further this agenda when he was president before.”
Critics of the proposal to remove birthright citizenship warn that it could create a new class of people in the US. A new class of people excluded from full social and political rights.
In the UK, there are observations of many young couples from India who are now parents of very young children. Potentially, associated with birth tourism.
Reflecting on the Issue of Birth Tourism
While birth tourism as a practice is legal, it continues to raise eyebrows and heated debate.
Birth tourism by Indian families and others reflects a desire for global opportunities and better futures for children.
Focus on birth tourism can, at times, lean toward a xenophobic and even racist lens.
It can be used in anti-immigration stances like in the US.
Birth tourists can be conflated with, for example, refugees and undocumented migrants.
However, Canadian Dr Simrit Brar maintained:
“I want to be clear: refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and those in similarly precarious situations—like patients whose provincial health insurance has lapsed, for whatever reason—are not birth tourists.
“A birth tourist makes the conscious decision to travel and give birth here, and generally, they have no intention to stay.
“Piling everyone under the same umbrella misses those crucial nuances and prevents us from making informed decisions, both at the policy level and in day-to-day care.”
Families, like some in India, seek to secure better access to education, work, healthcare, and international mobility for their children.
As birth tourism continues, it raises important questions about citizenship, nationality, legal frameworks, and the changing dynamics of global migration.
