Birth tourism

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Because the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizenship to those born in the U.S, it is reported [1] that some women, wishing their children to be born in the United States, engage in "birth tourism" so that their children become U.S. citizens. Under the rules of many countries, such children have dual citizenship generally until age 18; at which point they must choose one nationality.^{[citation needed]} This practice is believed to be popular among women in Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan [2]. According to Edward Chang, professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Riverside, the practice is popular among the elite of South Korea, since sons of these women can avoid compulsory military service. Temporary homes for these mothers are often located in residential neighborhoods, which neighbors allege decrease the quality of life in the neighborhood, primarily due to increases in traffic and other business-like effects. [3]

Being US citizens, these children do not have to meet the stricter international student rules to enter U.S. universities and colleges. In addition, when they turn 21, they become eligible to petition for a grant of permanent residency for their parents. Some prospective mothers misrepresent their intentions of coming to the United States, a violation of U.S. immigration law. However, it is not illegal for a woman to come to the U.S. to give birth.

This also applies, at least in theory, to any other country that implements jus soli. However, it has been reported that although the Constitution of Mexico states that children born on Mexican soil are citizens of the country, the government will not issue a birth certificate for a child born to a parent who is illegally in Mexico.^[1]