Birth tourism

Birth tourism is the practice of traveling to another country or city for the purpose of giving birth in that country. The main reason for birth tourism is to obtain citizenship for the child in a country with birthright citizenship (jus soli). Such a child is sometimes called an "anchor baby" if their citizenship is intended to help their parents obtain permanent residency in the country. Other reasons for birth tourism include access to public schooling, healthcare, sponsorship for the parents in the future, hedge against corruption and political instability in the parents’ home country. Popular destinations include the United States and Canada. Another target for birth tourism is Hong Kong, where some mainland Chinese residents travel to give birth to gain right of abode for their children.

In an effort to discourage birth tourism, Ireland restricted citizenship by birth to those where at least one parent is a citizen of the country, by passing the Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland in 2004. On the other hand, Germany traditionally only used jus sanguinis, but has introduced a conditional citizenship by birth in 2000 .

Since 2004, no European country grants unconditional birthright citizenship (as of 2006); however, most countries in the Americas, e.g., the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil do so. In Africa, Chad, Lesotho and Tanzania grant unconditional birthright citizenship, as do some in the Asian-Pacific region including Fiji, Pakistan, and Tuvalu.