The US Embassy in India has issued a clear warning to travellers: anyone attempting to misuse a tourist visa to give birth in America for automatic citizenship will face outright denial.

In a post shared on X, the embassy said consular officers are instructed to reject tourist visa applications if they suspect the applicant’s main purpose is to deliver a baby in the US. Such travel, it reiterated, is not allowed under US visa rules.

The embassy also confirmed that the United States has widened its digital screening protocols. Social media and online activity checks—which were already standard for student and exchange visa categories like F, M and J—will now be applied to all H-1B skilled workers and their H-4 dependents beginning December 15. Many applicants in India recently received notifications of their visa interviews being shifted as part of this new review system.

A spokesperson for the embassy said that every applicant goes through a rigorous vetting process. Security considerations, they added, will determine the time taken for each case.

The statement stressed that applicants must prove they are eligible for the visa they seek and intend to follow the rules tied to their specific visa category, including the purpose of their stay.