baby tourism canada

Birth tourism a growing concern as health systems struggle

Society of obstetricians and gynaecologists of canada to study the trend.

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Doctors say it's time to take a closer look at birth tourism, both in Alberta and across the country, and consider whether the federal and provincial governments need to take a tougher stance against it.

A birth tourist is a non-resident who comes to Canada specifically to give birth in this country and they don't qualify for publicly funded health care.

"I think we need to address it. We need to decide how we're going to approach this," said Dr. Colin Birch, a Calgary obstetrician gynecologist.

According to Birch, birth tourism has the biggest impact on cities with international airports — the trend slowed when air travel was shut down early in the pandemic.

"We're seeing a slow creep back up again. Will we make pre-pandemic levels? I firmly believe we will."

Birch, who co-authored a recent Calgary study on birth tourism, noted several key reasons Canada is a destination.

The retrospective analysis, which looked at 102 women between July 2019 and November 2020, found 77 per cent of patients cited birthright citizenship — the system through which Canada grants automatic citizenship to anyone born in the country — as their primary reason.

One-quarter of the birth tourists were from Nigeria. Travellers from the Middle East and China were the second and third most common.

Most patients reported coming to Canada on a visitor visa.

A balding man in a white shirt and blue sports jacket poses for a photo.

Financial, social impacts

But Alberta's health system, like others across the country, is under intense strain.

And that has physicians questioning the impacts of this trend.

"In the health-care system the way it is now, we haven't got the space to accommodate these people," he said.

He noted birth tourists can displace local patients — forcing them to deliver at a different hospital with a different health-care provider.

Birth tourists can also be costly.

In Calgary, a system is in place to identify birth tourists and distinguish them from other groups of uninsured patients, through a centralized triage service. A $15,000 deposit is collected for physicians' fees, with any unused portion being returned to patients.

"Really, it's the only place in the country that has attempted to put this into a process," said Birch.

But outside of Calgary, doctors have to try to recoup fees on a case-by-case basis. And Birch's research shows those deposits don't always get paid.

There are also separate hospital costs, and the study reveals unpaid fees to Alberta Health Services for the 16-month period amounted to nearly $700,000.

Preterm twins can cost the system hundreds of thousands of dollars alone, Birch noted.

A health care provider holds a stethoscope up to the abdomen of a pregnant patient

Alberta government 'concerned'

Data provided by Alberta Health shows the number of non-residents who gave birth in the province more than tripled — from 83 to 287 — between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 fiscal years.

The numbers dipped slightly after that. And the most recent data shows 256 non-residents gave birth in 2020-21, and 245 in 2021-22.

"Alberta's government is concerned about birth tourism and its impact on Albertans and Alberta's health system," said Alberta Health spokesperson Andrew Livingstone in a statement.

"In most cases, birth tourists are patients who have access to quality health-care in their home countries and are not vulnerable individuals, refugees or asylum seekers."

According to Livingstone, emergency or urgent care will always be provided, but individuals without provincial health coverage are expected to pay.

"In some cases … the cost of hospital care for the mother and newborn remains unpaid. We are currently considering a number of options for addressing these circumstances and recovering health-care costs."

The province said it's too early to share details on what options are being considered.

A doctor looks directly into the camera while sitting in his office. There are files stacked on the desk behind him.

National doctors group to study issue

This week, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) decided birth tourism warrants further investigation.

It was a key topic at an SOGC conference in Banff, where Birch gave a presentation on Thursday.

"It became very clear that SOGC wants to be involved. So we are going to take this on," said Dr. Douglas Wilson, SOGC president and professor emeritus at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine.

Wilson said the group decided to form a committee to look at birth tourism and related issues, and it plans to begin collecting data from the provinces.

"We'll start to get a handle on it. And we'll start to look at some provincial and federal discussions, because this is an issue where the delivery is provincial but immigration is federal, and in most cases, they don't talk to each other," he said.

A key concern, he said, is ensuring safe care, because many of these patients have other health problems, such as diabetes and hypertension.

"If you don't have a chance to watch and look after those women before … and they just show up, then you're going to have a much more complex delivery with potential risk involved."

Meanwhile, Birch said a number of options could be considered, ranging from eliminating birthright citizenship to implementing a universal system — similar to the one in Calgary — that would ensure physician and hospital fees are collected.

"This is not new. But I think we have to decide, is it a big enough issue for us to bother or are we just going to forget it and say, 'this is a part of giving care' and … accommodate as best we can."

Corrections

An earlier version of this story said a system is in place to identify birth tourists and distinguish them from other groups of uninsured patients, such as conventional refugees. However refugees are covered under the Interim Federal Health Program. Mar 19, 2023 1:09 PM MT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Lee is a CBC News reporter based in Calgary. She worked at CBC Toronto, Saskatoon and Regina before landing in Calgary in 2002. If you have a health or human interest story to share, let her know. [email protected]

Birth tourism in Canada dropped sharply once the pandemic began

The COVID-19 pandemic provides a perfect natural experiment to assess the extent of birth tourism in Canada now that we have 2020-21 hospital delivery data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI).

The latest data respond to questions regarding the accuracy of CIHI data in assessing the extent of birth tourism following my initial analysis in 2018 in Policy Options , given the correlation between visitor visa data and the sharp drop in birth tourism. Moreover, given the cost of coming to Canada for the purpose of giving birth, they also demonstrate that the nonresident women who give birth are largely the economically privileged rather than the more economically vulnerable.

The 2020-21 data show that “nonresident self-pay” births declined by 57 per cent compared with the previous year, from 5,698 to 2,433 for all provinces, including Quebec. While this category is broader than that of women who arrive on visitor visas, visitor visas issued declined by 95 per cent, compared with the proportion of international students, which declined by only 25 per cent (most provincial health plans cover international students), or temporary workers, which actually increased by 5.5 per cent. As Canadian citizens and permanent residents were largely exempt from COVID travel restrictions, the number who chose to return to Canada to give birth is likely unchanged.

Figure 1 contrasts the steady rise in nonresident self-pay births over the past 10 years and the sharp drop in 2020-21 back to 2010-11 levels. The percentage of nonresident births fell from 1.6 per cent of total births in 2019 to 0.7 per cent in 2020.

Table 1 compares nonresident births in 2011-15 and 2016-20 with those in 2020-21 and the change that occurred. The steep increase over these five-year periods contrasts with the sharp decline in 2020-21, which was particularly notable in British Columbia and Alberta.

Table 2 provides a hospital-level view of the impact of COVID, contrasting pre- and post-pandemic years in terms of nonresident and total births for the 10 hospitals with the largest percentage of nonresident births. Nonresident births declined dramatically in all hospitals; British Columbia’s Richmond Hospital, the epicentre of birth tourism with its supportive “cottage industry” of “birth hotels,” was one of the strongest hit.

This suggests that my initial estimate that about 50 per cent of nonresident births were due to birth tourism was conservative, and that the percentage of “tourism births” is about 1 per cent of all births (or about 0.4 per cent of current immigration levels).

Unfortunately, the government appears to have dropped its 2018 commitment to “ better understand the extent of this practice as well as its impacts ” following the release of the CIHI numbers and related media attention. Given the expected reversion to growth in birth tourism, the government needs to resume work in this area, particularly with respect to linking immigration and health data, in order to improve understanding of immigration and health issues, including birth tourism.

The policy and operational questions remain as to whether the extent of birth tourism warrants an amendment to the Citizenship Act , visa restrictions on women intending to give birth in Canada, or other administrative and regulatory measures to curtail the practice. As visa restrictions would be difficult to administer, and regional administrative and regulatory measures may well encourage hospital and jurisdiction “shopping,” the “cleanest” approach would be an amendment to the Citizenship Act that would require one parent to be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, comparable to the situation in Australia.

Hospital stats show birth tourism rising in major cities Birth tourism and the demonizing of pregnant migrant women The risk of oversimplifying the birth tourism debate

Although the previous Conservative government explored a legislative change in 2012, this was abandoned given provincial opposition and the costs involved. However, at the time, the number of birth tourists was estimated at 500, much lower than what is shown in the more accurate data we have now.

As travel restrictions continue to ease, we can expect the number of nonresident births and birth tourists to revert to their previous growth. Should this happen, it will prompt further calls to restrict birth tourism. The 2019 Angus Reid survey indicated that the vast majority would support such a change for women on visitor visas.

This COVID-19 pandemic “natural experiment” demonstrates that birth tourists form more than the majority of nonresident births and is trending upward. Further discussions and debates should recognize this reality.

A note on methodology

The data is from the CIHI’s Discharge Abstract Database, more specifically the Responsible for Funding Program (RRFP) “non-resident self-pay” category, as well as totals for hospital deliveries. The RRFP data include temporary residents on visitor visas, international students, foreign workers and visiting Canadian citizens, and permanent residents. While Quebec has a slightly different coding system, CIHI ensures its data is comparable.

Health coverage for international students varies by provinces, but most are covered by provincial health plans. This is not the case in Manitoba and Ontario .

You are welcome to republish this Policy Options article online or in print periodicals, under a Creative Commons/No Derivatives licence.

Republish this article

by Andrew Griffith. Originally published on Policy Options December 16, 2021

This <a target="_blank" href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/december-2021/birth-tourism-in-canada-dropped-sharply-once-the-pandemic-began/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org">Policy Options</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=101249&ga4=G-GR919H3LRJ" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

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Canada should deny care to pregnant 'birth tourists,' doctor argues

Denying care is a dangerous and unrealistic 'gut reaction' that some hospitals have already taken, another doctor wrote in response

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Should Canada deny care to ”birth tourists,” pregnant women who visit Canada with the sole purpose of delivering their babies here, thereby obtaining automatic Canadian citizenship for their newborns?

Canada should deny care to pregnant 'birth tourists,' doctor argues Back to video

It’s a provocative, and, some say, dangerous suggestion. However, a leading expert in preterm and multiple births is arguing that Canadian hospitals and doctors should have “absolutely zero tolerance” for birth tourism, a phenomenon that is rising once again now that COVID travel restrictions have been dropped.

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It’s a “sorry state of affairs” that women in Canada face wait times of 18 months or longer for treatment for pelvic pain, uncontrolled bleeding and other women’s health issues, Dr. Jon Barrett, professor and chief of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at McMaster University wrote in an editorial in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

“The thought that even ONE patient seeking birth tourism would potentially take either an obstetrical spot out of our allocated hospital quota, or even worse, a spot on the gynaecologic waiting list, should be enough to unite all in a position that anything that in any way facilitates this practice should be frowned upon,” Barrett wrote.

“These are non-Canadians getting access to health care, which we haven’t got enough of for our own Canadians,” he said in an interview.

When planned low-risk births go wrong, and babies end up spending weeks in intensive care, hospitals can be left with hundreds of thousands in unpaid bills. One Calgary study found that almost $700,000 was owed to Alberta Health Services over the 16-month study period.

The women themselves are also at risk, Barrett said, of being “fleeced” by unscrupulous brokers and agencies charging hefty sums upfront for birth tourism packages that include help arranging tourist visas, flights, “maternity” or “baby hotels” and pre-and post-partum care.

And, while he declined to provide specific examples, “Tempted by large sums of money, even the best of us can be tempted into poor practice,” Barrett wrote.

It sends the wrong message that basically we’re not very serious in terms of how we consider citizenship

The issue has triggered high emotions and debate among Canada’s baby doctors. Under Canada’s rule of jus soli, Latin for “right of soil,” citizenship is automatically conferred to those born on Canadian soil.

Birthright citizenship gives the child access to a Canadian education and health care. They can also sponsor their parents to immigrate when they turn 18.

Other developed nations require at least one parent to be a citizen, or permanent resident.

According to data collected by Andrew Griffith, a former senior federal bureaucrat in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, “tourism” births account for about one per cent, give or take a bit, of total births in Canada. Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information show Canada hosted 4,400 foreign births in 2019.

Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.

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At a national level, the numbers aren’t huge, however they can become significant at the local level, Griffith said: In pre-COVID years, non-resident births accounted for up to 25 per cent of all births at a single hospital in Richmond, B.C., while the numbers at a handful of other popular destination hospitals in Ontario and Quebec approached five to 10 per cent of all births.

“In a system that is tight and stretched, it does become an issue at the hospital level,” Griffith said.

But birth tourism also undermines the integrity and confidence in Canada’s citizenship process, he said, “It appears like a short cut, a loophole that people are abusing in order to obtain longer-term benefit for their offspring.”

“It sends the wrong message that basically we’re not very serious in terms of how we consider citizenship and its meaningfulness and its importance to Canada,” Griffith said.

Barrett is careful to stress that birth tourism absolutely doesn’t apply to women who happen to be in Canada because of work, or study programs, or as refugees. “We must declare that people who are here for a genuine reason should have seamless access to health care,” he said.

What he opposes are the “non-urgent planned and deliberate birth tourists in our hospitals.”

Doctors can’t deny care to a woman in labour. Emergency care would always be given, he said. “Obviously you’re never going to turn somebody away.”

But doctors and hospitals could decline to provide pregnancy care before birth. “Eventually, if you create this unfriendly environment,” Barrett said, “if everybody said we are not looking after you and not facilitating this, eventually people will not come. They would realize they are not getting what they are seeking, which is optimal care.”

Some women step off the plane 37 weeks pregnant, three weeks from their due date. “That’s why my colleagues say, ‘You can’t do that. People are going to suffer,'” Barrett said. “Yes, unfortunately, people are going to suffer, because they won’t get pregnancy care, and they’ll show up at the hospital without antenatal care.”

While some women do come to Canada seeking superior medical care, “let’s be frank,” said Calgary obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Colin Birch. “The principal motivator is jus soli.

“Sometimes its veiled under, ‘I want to get better medical care,’ but, interestingly, they fly over several countries that can give them the equivalent care to Canada to get here,” said Birch, countries that don’t offer jus soli.

Birch is co-author of the Calgary study, the first in-depth look at birth tourism in Canada. Their retrospective analysis, a look back over the data, involved 102 women who gave birth in Calgary between July 2019 and November 2020. A deposit of $15,000 was collected from each birth tourist, and held in trust by a central “triage” office to cover the cost of doctors’ fees. A deposit wasn’t collected to cover fees for hospital stays for the mom or baby; women were made aware they would be billed directly.

The average age of the woman was 32. Most came to Canada with a visitor visa, arriving, on average, 87 days before their due date. Birth tourists were most commonly from Nigeria, followed by the Middle East, China, India and Mexico. Overall, 77 per cent stated that the reason for coming to Canada was to give birth to a “Canadian baby.”

Almost a third of the women had a pre-existing medical condition. One woman needed to be admitted to the ICU after delivery for cardiac reasons, another was admitted for a high blood pressure disorder and stroke. Nine babies required a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, including one set of twins that stayed several months. Some women skip their bills without paying.

“Every conversation about heath care is that we haven’t got money for health care,” Birch said. “Yet you’ve got unpaid bills of three-quarters of a million. It’s not chump change.”

But denying care is a dangerous and unrealistic “gut reaction” that some hospitals have already taken, Birch wrote in his counter editorial for the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. “Let’s be very clear: They won’t let them through the front door, or they send them on to another hospital.”

“You cannot have zero tolerance for patients,” Birch said. “You can’t do that because that leads to maternal and fetal complications.”

The federal government could tweak the rule of “jus soli,” excluding people who just come to Canada on a temporary visitor visa to give birth, and then leave, he and others said. “You do the Australian approach, that one of the parents has to be a citizen of the country,” said Griffith, a fellow of the Environics Institute and Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

Three years ago, the United States announced it would start denying visitor visas to pregnant foreign nationals if officials believe the sole purpose was to gain American citizenship for their babies.

While some have said birth tourists are being demonized as “ queue jumpers and citizenship fraudsters, ” Griffith isn’t convinced birth tourism is a politically divisive issue.

“I don’t think there are very many people that really would get upset if the government sort of said, ‘We’re going to crack down on birth tourists, women who come here specifically to give birth to a child and who have no connection to Canada.’”

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Giving Birth in Canada – Benefits, Cost, Citizenship, Tourism Visa…

Are you considering the possibility of giving birth in canada, if you are an expectant mum considering baby tourism in canada, this is the guide for you read on.

The Canadian Citizenship Act – paragraph 3(1)(a) – states that all individuals born in Canada are Canadian citizens, regardless of their parent’s status in Canada. The only exclusion is foreign diplomats who give birth to a child in Canada, cannot be Canadian citizens.

Therefore, if you are a temporary resident in Canada (e.g. a visitor, worker, tourist) and you give birth to a child in Canada, your child automatically becomes a Canadian citizen.

Did you know? The United States of America (USA) and Canada are currently the only G7 nations that have birthright citizenship.

Benefits of Giving Birth in Canada

What is the meaning of birth tourism and is it legal in canada , non-residents (visitors) wishing to enter canada for the purpose of giving birth – birth tourism, the cost and procedure of giving birth in canada, what documents do you need to have your baby in canada, best hospital to give birth in canada, how do you register your child in canada , how to apply for the child’s canadian passport, faq’s on birth tourism canada visa – temporary resident visa (trv), final words: childbirth in canada – birth tourism.

If an individual is born in Canada, the Canadian-born child has all the rights and privileges as every other Canadian citizen, including:

The right to live/reside in Canada or travel to Canada at any time without a visa.
The child is entitled to receive and enjoy benefits such as free health care benefits , free education , and free social benefits.

The act of travelling to another country to give birth and as a result getting citizenship for the child, even if the parents are neither residents nor citizens is known as baby or birth tourism.

Only a few developed countries allow this and Canada is one of them. It is also completely legal in Canada.

Like visitors or tourist visa holders, the expectant mother has to prove that she is financially capable and will return to her home country after delivery.

The expectant mother can provide a letter from the doctor who will deliver the baby in Canada and proof of funds for the doctor’s services to make the visa process easier.

If you will be delivering your baby while you’re in Canada as a visitor, tourist, or non-resident, you will have to pay out-of-pocket for your medical care. The Canadian health care system will not cover the cost. If you don’t want to handle this cost alone, then you should obtain international medical insurance.

The parents of the newborn can neither get a residence permit nor Canadian citizenship by virtue of their child being born as a Canadian citizen . However, when the child reaches the age of 18, he or she can sponsor his or her parents to come live permanently in Canada. You don’t have to wait till then though. Find the right Canadian immigration program for you here.

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A temporary resident who gives birth in Canada is not considered to have violated any terms or conditions.

According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), a TRV cannot be refused just because an applicant intends to have childbirth in Canada.

Assessment of the TRV application of a pregnant applicant should centre on the essential requirements of TRV just like any other applicant.

The fact that an applicant is pregnant should only be considered as a component in the TRV assessment but only in the manner that it affects the assessment of the main requirements for TRV issuance. They are:

Does the applicant have sufficient funds for the duration of the trip to Canada ?
Will the visa applicant depart Canada at the end of their authorized period of stay in Canada?
Is the applicant admissible to Canada ?

The intent to give birth in Canada (whether indicated or evident) and the pregnancy consideration must relate back to one of the three above primary requirements for issuance of the TRV.

COVID-19 Update: Due to COVID-19, there are travel restrictions that limit those who can come into Canada. Answer some questions to find out if you may be allowed to enter Canada.

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Who Covers the Health Care Costs for Childbirth in Canada?

As a visitor/tourist in Canada, deciding to give birth to a child in Canada has some associated costs ranging from $5,000 CAD to $20,000 CAD.

The cost is based on various factors, such as:

The health care costs in the province you decide to have your child (some provinces have higher health costs than others).
The medical facility that is handling the care (hospital vs. mid-wives)
The type of delivery (normal delivery vs caesarean section).

The parent of the child born in Canada is NOT eligible to have the costs of the child’s birth covered by Canadian healthcare.

The mother of the child will be required to pay out-of-pocket expenses for all the associated medical costs and bills related to the birth of the child. This is mandatory since the parent is not a Canadian resident.

The Cheapest Way to Transfer Money to Canada

Paying for your childbirth costs in Canada just got simpler. Wise (formerly TransferWise) is great for sending money internationally with low fees – much cheaper than using your local bank.

Take the stress out of managing your finances. Use a Wise debit card to pay and withdraw money from ATMs when you travel internationally.

If you are a temporarily residing in Canada resident (e.g. student, worker, etc.), you will usually have medical coverage through your educational institution or the provincial government, depending on how long you’ve lived in a specific province.

For example, if you are an international student studying in British Columbia, your educational institution will usually arrange for health coverage through a private insurer for the first 3 months before your provincial health care coverage takes effect.

What is the Procedure for Giving Birth in Canada for Non-Resident?

The procedure for giving birth in Canada for foreign nationals is:

Decide that you want to give birth in Canada.
Apply for a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) * .
If your TRV application is approved, arrive in Canada.
Give birth to your child in Canada.
Apply for your child’s birth certificate and the child’s Canadian passport.
Return back to your home country.

* Citizens of certain countries (such as the United States of America) do not require a TRV to give birth in Canada. However, you may need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA ) to enter Canada.

Applying for an eTA is a straightforward online procedure. The majority of applicants get their eTA clearance (through email) within minutes. However, if you are required to provide supporting documentation, some requests may take several days to complete. It is essential to get an eTA before booking a flight to Canada .

Need Help to Submit a TRV Visa Application for Birth Tourism? Contact Us!

⚠️ COVID-19 Update: Temporary Pause on our Birth Tourism Services

Due to the impacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Government of Canada (IRCC) is prioritizing applications from:

Canadians trying to return to Canada,
Vulnerable people, and
People who perform or support essential services.

Thus, it is not likely that you will receive a visa decision early enough for you to give birth in Canada. Check IRCC’s current processing times here .

Similarly, due to COVID-19, there are travel restrictions that limit those who can come into Canada.

Therefore, even if you have a valid Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) – tourist visa, you may not be allowed to come into Canada for birth tourism. You can find more information on the current travel restrictions here .

Additionally, the health care facilities are currently overwhelmed. Hence, medical practitioners and health authorities in Canada may be reluctant to provide a letter, if IRCC requests one.

Based on the preceding, our birth tourism services may not meet your intended purpose. Thus, we have put a temporary pause on our TRV visa application services for birth tourism in Canada. We will keep monitoring the situation and update this section accordingly.

You should bring certain documents along with you when going to the hospital to deliver your baby. These are copies of:

Your medical records if you have them with you.
Your birth plan.
Insurance cards and/or healthcare coverage.
Your Social Insurance Number (SIN), if applicable.
Your passports and visas.

If you’re a non-resident (visitor) thinking of having your baby in Canada, you may be wondering which hospital is the best place to give birth.

Every province and territory has different hospitals that offer different levels of care, so it can be tricky to figure out which one is right for you.

The following are the top ten (10) hospitals in Canada with the highest number of non-resident births:

Ste-Mary Hospital, Quebec
St. Paul’s & Mount Saint Joseph, British Columbia
Richmond Hospital, British Columbia
Mackenzie-Richmond Hill, Ontario
McGill, Quebec
Trillium-Mississauga, Ontario
St. Joseph’s Health, Ontario
Mount Sinai Hospital, Ontario
North York General, Ontario
Trillium-Credit Valley, Ontario

Keep in mind, however, that the above list is not necessarily the “best” hospital list – every province and territory has several excellent hospitals to choose from. So if you did not see your hospital of choice above, don’t worry – you’re still in good hands!

Each Canadian territory or province has its process for registering childbirth . If you have your child in Ontario, for example, you’ll have to register the baby within the first 30 days. So you should contact the local authorities for information specific to the province you are in.

When you register your child online, you can also sign up for Canada’s child benefits, register for the child’s birth certificate and his or her social insurance number.

After completing the birth registration and getting a birth certificate to prove Canadian citizenship, you can then proceed to apply for the child’s Canadian passport. To do this, you will have to:

Complete the Government of Canada form .
Provide your baby’s birth certificate.
Provide two photographs for the passport.
Get a representative (the representative could be a doctor that observed your child in the first days after birth).
Pay the stipulated fees.
Send the documents by courier or mail service with tracking, to: Government of Canada Passport Program Gatineau, QC K1A 0G3 Canada

Was Your Canada Tourist Visa (TRV) Application Rejected?

If you are considering reapplying , it is a good idea for you to first get the complete details on your previous application from ircc..

Should I disclose that I am pregnant or that I intend to give birth in Canada when applying for a Canadian TRV?

Yes, you should indicate in your visa application that you are pregnant or that you intend to give birth in Canada. This is important as it may be considered as a material fact in the evaluation of your TRV application.

If the Canadian visa officer is not advised of the pregnancy, it may go unexamined; the fact you are pregnant or that you intend to give birth in Canada may be significant to your TRV application assessment. For instance:

Have you made pertinent arrangements for your medical treatment in Canada?
Do you have the financial capacity to cover the full costs of childbirth in Canada, or
What is the likelihood that you’ll depart from Canada after the birth of your child?

Hence, in some circumstances, the deliberate cover-up of intent to give birth in Canada may result in a conclusion of inadmissibility for misrepresentation (under A40), thereby resulting in a visa refusal prior to visa issuance or refusal of entry into Canada on arrival at the port of entry.

Should I answer “Yes” or “No” in the TRV application form where I’m asked if I or “any accompanying family members have any physical or mental disorders that will require social or health services during their stay in Canada”?

The TRV application form asks whether the visa applicant or if any family member(s) that will be going along to Canada with the applicant, have any physical or mental conditions that will need Canada’s health or social services during the stay in Canada.

As pregnancy is not typically deemed as a “medical condition”, the visa applicant may answer “No” to this question. This is not usually considered misrepresentation in the instance of pregnant applicants, based on the wording used.

READ ALSO >> Chances of Getting Canada Tourist Visa after Refusal

Could being pregnant be considered as medical inadmissibility to canada.

No, pregnancy by itself cannot deem a TRV visa applicant as inadmissible to Canada .

Although a “high-risk” pregnancy could result in undue demand on the Canadian health care system, this would usually be hypothetical and would not be applicable to the unborn child, as the child born in Canada will become a citizen at birth.

Any concerns that the child after birth in Canada may be a burden on Canadian health and social services, cannot be used in evaluating the medical admissibility of the TRV applicant.

The focus of Canadian visa officers should be on available financial support, when utilizing the guidelines on temporary resident applicants seeking medical treatment in Canada, as part of their assessment of admissibility.

Will a medical examination be required from pregnant TRV applicants?

As per IRCC, a medical examination should only be requested in extraordinary cases. For instance, where the information from the medical examination would be material to the assessment of the TRV visa application.

Can I travel to Canada if I am pregnant?

Yes, you can travel to Canada if you are pregnant. Travelling to Canada is perfectly safe as long as there are no known issues or concerns with the pregnancy.

It is strongly advised that pregnant women who want to travel visit a health care professional at least six weeks before their anticipated departure date.

How much does it cost to deliver a baby in Canada?

The cost to deliver a baby in Canada for Canadian permanent residents and citizens is typically free in most Canadian provinces and territories.

On the other hand, the cost to deliver a baby in Canada for non-residents (visitors) depends on whether they have health insurance coverage or not. The cost ranges from $3,000 CAD to $20,000 CAD.

What countries allow birth tourism?

The countries that allow birth tourism are Canada and the United States. Furthermore, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico do not only allow birthright citizenship, they subsequently expedite permanent residency and time to naturalize as citizens for the parents of the child.

In the majority of European countries, the child of an immigrant is not eligible for citizenship.

What happens to a child born in Canada to foreign parents?

A child born in Canada to foreign parents is entitled to Canadian citizenship by birth. On the other hand, if the child’s parent does not already have Canadian permanent residency or Canadian citizenship, the parent will have to return to their home country with their child, despite the fact that the child was born in Canada.

If the parent wishes to become a Canadian citizen, there are legal ways to attain residency with a Canadian-born child; typically once the child attains the age of majority (18 years old).

There has been a consistent increase in “birth tourism” to Canada, whereby expectant mothers from other countries travel to Canada in order to give birth so that their children can acquire Canadian citizenship.

Some people are opposed to this trend, arguing that it amounts to cheating the system and gives an unfair advantage to children born in Canada over those born elsewhere.

Others maintain that as long as everyone is playing by the rules, there is no harm in birth tourism and it should be allowed.

What do you think? Got questions? Feedback? Leave a comment.

Read also >> cost of having a baby in canada – with or without insurance.

Charee Oisamoje is the founder of CanadaWiz. She leads the editorial team, which is comprised of subject matter experts that aim to create well-researched, highly detailed content related to studying, working, immigrating, and settling/living in Canada as a newcomer.

Charee's personal experiences as a Canadian immigrant and her professional competencies make her uniquely qualified on the subject matter.

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75 thoughts on “giving birth in canada – benefits, cost, citizenship, tourism visa…”.

I am a pregnant Nigerian female with the intention of going to Canada for delivery. I have a brother in Alberta who is currently a permanent resident with his family. What I would like to know is, does having my baby become a Canadian citizen by virtue of birth afford me a better chance of obtaining a permanent residency/citizenship status in the near future? I mean can my husband and I apply for permanent residency by virtue of our child being a Canadian citizen?

Ganiyat Abdulsalam Haway, Neither you nor your husband can apply for permanent residency/citizenship by virtue of your child being a Canadian citizen due to being born in Canada. However, in the future (if Canadian immigration law is still the same), when your child reaches the age of majority (usually 18 years of age), he/she can apply to sponsor you and your husband to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents. If you and your husband are looking to becoming Canadian permanent residents in the short-term, you will want to consider other immigration routes, for example, Express Entry .

Hello , I’m Kudirat and I want your help on how to go give birth in Canada or better still refer me to a trusted company

Hello, I need the process to travel to Canada for childbirth as soon as possible.

Just google it man !!! if you go to the IRCC website you will find all the information and process you need.

MY NAMES AR JOSEPH IDRIS. I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION FOR TRV TO CANADA TO GIVE BIRTH. I WANT MY WIFE TO GIVE BIRTH IN CANADA AND I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT MY CHANCES OF OBTAINING VISA AND THE REQUIREMENTS.

Idris Jiseph, The requirements for application for TRV to give birth in Canada is similar to a regular TRV. The only difference being that your wife has to indicate in her application that the purpose of her visit to Canada is to give birth and meet the additional requirements. Refer to the answer we provided above to the question “Should I disclose that I am pregnant or that I intend to give birth in Canada when applying for a Canadian TRV?” What country will you be applying from? If you will be applying from Nigeria, this post has detailed information on the Canada TRV process.

I’m permanent resident of Canada and living in Ontario , but my wife dose not have PR and she has TRV and also Expresses entry application in process , she is pregnant now and I’m wondering if I can use my Ohip coverages for some of her maternity costs or do I have to pay from my pocket

Al the best to you bro. i am in the same position and wondering the same.

Can you please help my wife with the process too, she will like to give birth in Canada my no is {your phone number has been deleted to protect your privacy}.

Adefemi, Check your email inbox (Also check your spam/junk folder too).

Can you also assist me in getting birth tourism.

Armin, To ensure that you get the most accurate information, we recommended that you contact OHIP to ask. Please come back and post a follow-up comment to let us know what you found out, so that others like Gaspar Raposo can gain from your knowledge. All the best!

Please help me out here I want my wife to deliver in Canada and I was introduced to an agent who took our money and for one year now story story from the agent and my wife have birth in my country Nigeria and this time I do not want to make the same mistakes again Please help us out here my email {your email has been deleted to protect your privacy}

Obuefuna Cyprian, Sorry to hear about your experience with an agent who defrauded you and your wife. To ensure that you do not make the same mistakes again, you want to first ensure that your wife meets the requirements to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) from Nigeria . If she meets the requirement, she can follow the step-by-step process here and apply on her own. Or if you/she requires one-on-one assistance, feel free to contact us for help.

Hello please my hubby wants me to give birth in Canada,please help us with the easiest way out

Good morning, do I need to register with a hospital while in Nigeria or when I get there.

In my place of work, I will only be allow to leave for Canada when I m about to put to bed, what maximum age limit(pregnancy age now) will be allo to travel

I want my wife to give birth in Canada. Can you help me with the process.

Maloof Olawale, Sure, we can help you with the process. Keep in mind that you will be expected to provide your own supporting documents . Feel free to contact us .

Hello, I am a Canadian permanent resident, my girlfriend is pregnant in the United Estates. I would like to know if she can come to gift birth to my kid in Canada where I live and if my health care will cover that?

Jon, Congrats to you and your girlfriend on the pregnancy. As health care varies by province, kindly confirm the province you live in to ensure that we provide you with accurate information.

Need some guidance.

I am a Candian Citizen. Born and raised here in winnipeg, Mb. My Wife is currently here on a visiting visa from Vietnam. She is expected to go back to Vietnam in March 2021. However I do t believe restrictions will allow her. I am in the process of sponsoring her.

My wife is now pregnant. I want to have the child here in Canada. Can I extend the visa? What options do I have to keep her here. And also, if my wife gives birth here in winnipeg, will it be covered under my health care?

Please help.

Best Regards, Andrew

Hello Andrew, We are in the same situation as you and your wife, down to my wife being from Vietnam (only difference is we’re in Sask). Did you get any answers? Any advice you’d be able to share?

Are there any travel ban for people from Nigeria who want to give birth in canada this year? Because i want to commence the process of obtaining TRV.

Oare Fredrick Ojehomon, The COVID-19 restrictions by the Prime Minister / Government of Canada stop most discretionary (non-essential) travel to Canada. An individual wanting to travel from Nigeria to Canada to give birth will fall into this category. As of today, people from Nigeria (or any other country for that matter) wanting to give birth in Canada cannot travel to Canada, even if they have a valid visitor/tourist visa. As travel restrictions may change with little notice, I cannot say if/when the restriction will be lifted this year.

Hi! I am pregnant and have a working visa and I have a valid health care card. Is my medical fees, and hospital bills will be free? I’m worried if not. Please help me. The father of my becoming child is Permanent resident but we’re not married.

Hello, I applied for Temporary Residence Visa for birth 2 months ago. My hospital appointment is in a month time. I haven’t received any response which is making me nervous. I paid medicals fees in full and attached all necessary documents. Is there hope for me? My due date is in 4 months

hi there, my name is Alan, I and my wife are originally from Mexico and we are permanent residents of Canada, we are trying to have family, but for us, in order to do that, we will need to use a surrogate mother. My brother’s sister in law (also from Mexico) has offered to be our surrogate mother. We also have already our own embryos in Vancouver and are ready to be transferred. So we need our surrogate to come to Canada for the transfer as soon as flights from Mexico are open again (right now there are no flights because of COVID until April 30, and then we would like to have the baby delivered also here in Canada. so is this all possible? and what kind of visa should be applied for her for this matter? is it the TRV as well? and what are the chances we will get approved?

Hi, Im a Canadian living in USA (for 2 years now) and I want to give birth in Canada, how can I get free health care again in order to delivery in Canada for free? Thank you!

Hi, I am a permanent resident of Canada but my partner is not. She is in Canada with me on a TRV (visitor visa). We are planning to have a baby in Canada, Ontario, where we are staying. I have OHIP only for me, but can I get coverage of some of our maternity and delivery costs using my OHIP? Also, how can I get OHIP for my partner? Thanks.

Hi, If your wife is on a visitor visa, she, unfortunately, cannot be covered provincially or federally. I would call OHIP to double-check.

Greetings I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION FOR TRV TO CANADA TO GIVE BIRTH. I WANT MY WIFE TO GIVE BIRTH IN CANADA. WE PRESENTLY HAVE 🇦🇪 UAE RESIDENT VISA.

Good day, I am a Nigerian whose wife is currently pregnant and I would like her to Deliver the baby in Canada in 3 months from now. Kindly advise on the possibility of having this done and the financial implication.

How long does it take to process the birth certificate and passport of the child once born in canada 🇨🇦?

This depends on your province. I would give it 3 weeks to 1 month for birth certificate and for non-urgent passports, 3 weeks to 1 month as well. If travel is imminent, indicate it when applying for your child’s passport.

Hello I would love to have my baby in Canada , please what are the procedures?

like a month i think

As you said there is no certain of opening for birth tourism visa but still can i process to apply for tourist visa,( due date is in september)??

Hi, i’m lebanese and pregnant and want to give birth in Canada. Is it possible to get visa for that matter? Where should i mention the purpose of my trip? Will i be granted the visa?

I’m 18 years old on a student permit – if I give birth will the government support me ?

Hi, I would like to give birth in Canada, Montreal to be exact. Could you give be options of hospitals, OBGYN sound that area and costs associated with giving birth.

God Bless Great countries like Canada, I would love to have a direct chat with the admin if given an opportunity.

Warm Regards

Can you please help my wife with the process too, she will like to give birth in Canada

I am Canadian and my wife is not she is currently pregnant and needs a visa to enter Canada. I would like for my child to be born in Canada I have the means to pay for all hospital bills and any other expenses. What is the process time? her visa application has been summited but when it was summited we were not married and we were not pregnant.

Hi, I am engaged to a Canadian citizen, and we live in the UK (I’m from Southern Africa). I’m 4 months pregnant and we were hoping to travel to Canada together before the baby is born to be with family. Would I qualify for healthcare (and would I be able to deliver the baby for free) in BC if we were to do so (assuming that the visa application was processed in time, of course)? Because I will be married to a Canadian, we did not think this counted as ‘birth tourism’, but its not clear from the website exactly what visa we should apply for, and whether I would have to pay all medical fees out of pocket…

Thanks for your guidance!

Can I apply for a Canada visa now to give birth ?? And do I have to go for a interview?

Greetings Please, I’m from Ghana and 5 months pregnant. I want to know if is possible now to get a visa to give birth in Canada?

I’m an overseas Canadian that wants to return to Canada to give birth, but I have lost my OHIP. I can only stay in Canada for about 3-6 months based on the nature of my husband’s job. Can I get OHIP for my Canadian family members if we stay the 153 days, which will cover the cost of labor and delivery and any other health care required upon return if I show proof of PR. What if I have to leave before the 153 days? How do I pay taxes after?

hiiii. my name is pradeep saini me and my wife we have been permanent residency of alberta .my wife is pregant nd i just want to about the delivery cost or free of delivery ..our health is working on delivery or not ..please help me out this ???

Hi, My name is blessing from Nigeria, my husband and I will want to give birth to our child in canada. Please can you provide us with every information we will be needing on the process. The cost of the hospital bills, the best city and probably hospital to have our baby, and how long the process will take. Am aware of the covid restrictions but I need the info pending when restrictions will be lifted. This is our contact 07062318302 Thanks.

Hi I have been applying for a student visa for almost 2 months and my wife has applied for an open work permit visa. My wife recently found out she was pregnant. If our visa is issued and my spouse gives birth in Canada, will the delivery costs be free for us or do we have to pay out of pocket?

Congratulations to you and your wife on the pregnancy.

As an international student in Canada, you will typically have health insurance coverage arranged through your school or you may be eligible for Provincial health coverage after a period of time. Thus, if you add your wife as a dependent on your health insurance and she gives birth in Canada, the delivery costs should typically be covered either through your school’s group health insurance plan or the provincial health insurance plan.

I’ll recommend you check with the educational institution in Canada, where you’ll be studying for precise information.

Dear Sir or Madam, I am a non-resident from Poland wishing to deliver a baby in Canada. I would like to get some information on the costs of delivery at hospitals in Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto. Could you provide me with any list of hospitals in said cities that accept non-residents? I am especially interested in C-section. Also, I would like to ask how much time it takes to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) granted (I am a EU citizen)?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Hi, I have recently applied for study permit to Canada online. one month later I discovered that I am pregnant, is this will affect on the officer decision? However I still didn’t do the medical exam.

Is my Ecuadorian common-law girlfriend covered for medical support if she is carrying my child? I am a Canadian citizen and my now pregnant common-law girlfriend has been in Canada with me on a visitors visa since Jan 2020. We have received two Visitor Records to extend her legal status and have just requested a third out to 2023. We are also applying for her PR status, but it could come after the baby is born.

Cannon, Canada health/medical insurance coverage varies from province to province. Which province in Canada do you currently reside?

Hello, I’m a canadian citizen by birth while my wife is under open work permit status. We both live together in Canada. I’m sponsoring her under the family class, spouse in Canada path. If we have children, while she is waiting for her PR, will we have to pay out of pocket costs for child birth?

To clarify, we both live in Manitoba. We are both legally married to each other. The civil marriage took place in Manitoba.

Hello, If an international student in Alberta is pregnant and decided to come home to home country after giving birth (due to hardship as the husband is inadmissible to Canada). Can the student still come back to finish the study after the husband’s 5 year ban is done?

KP, You can take time off your studies in Canada with the intention of returning back to finish the study afterwards, but keep in mind that there is no guarantee that IRCC will approve your study permit at that time. I recommend you discuss your unique circumstances with an educational counsellor at your institution in Alberta. All the best!

Hi .. I’m 3 months pregnant.. I’d like to know the possibility of having my baby in Canada with my spouse being the sponsor … we both live in Nigeria .. thank you

Dear Canadawiz team, We’ve (non-Canadian) had a child born in Canada. My wife is pregnant again and we are hoping to deliver the second in Canada as well. I understand that immigration officer cannot stop anyone from coming into the country for birth as long as you prove you have the funds but, can there be any sort of repercussion at immigration when they find out my son is Canadian and parents are not. And decline us from any future deliveries in Canada.

Good day, can you please recommend some insurance company and type of insurance for non- residents to give birth in Canada, thank you.

As a non-resident of Canada, our recommendation is that you get maternity insurance coverage from an insurance company in your country of residence before you get pregnant.

This is because most insurance policies will not cover maternity costs for people who are already or soon will be pregnant. There are usually 6 to 12 months of paid maternity coverage before insurers start to cover pregnancy, birth, and newborn care. This is called a “moratorium.”

I am writing to you for the purpose of inquiring about how to make an appointment for my wife to give birth in Quebec, as the date of her birth is in July 2022, as she will be in Canada at the beginning of June. Please provide me with the required information and if it is necessary to send some medical information about her.

Dear canadwiz team, I am appreciating you to give me any information about the cost of giving birth in vancouver for non-resident…thank you very much in advance

Dear Canadawizteam, Please I would like to know how one can get the International Insurance cover for childbirth. Thank you.

This is very fantastic, I’m grateful for such a detailed article, thank you so much.

Work permit holder’s wife can give birth in Canada? All the medical fees-free? need to pay by pocket? Please clarify.

Hello , I’m Abimbola and I want your help on how to go give birth in Canada or better still refer me to a trusted company

Dear Canadian team, My wife is pregnant and wishing to deliver baby in Canada, kindly advise if necessary to do arrangement with hospital in Canada to give us quotation (cost of birth) before submitting application for TRV. Also advise how much time need processing to get TRV from Nigeria as all requirements complete to submit Thank you for your help Regards,

I am from India and I have received an open work permit visa . I will be travelling to Canada with my husband who is the primary applicant and holds work permit . As we are expecting ,I want to know what will be the process to give birth over there in Canada . For Eg, do we need to have an insurance before we want to give birth or how many days does it take to get an insurance once we reach there. How much time does it take to book an appointment with an obstetrician ? P.S. I will be moving to Halifax, NS.

Hi! I’m a US citizen and is currently 4mos pregnant. My boyfriend is a Canadian citizen. We want to give birth in BC. I dont have insurance or international insurance. He doesn’t have one too. Is there any way for him to apply for kne and extend it to me?

Is there any immigration childbirth packages that you can offer?

Thank you!!!

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CANADA: New Canadian babies born via birth tourism less than one per cent of all births

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Although birth tourism in Canadian hospitals represents less than one percent of babies born in this country, one Calgary doctor wants to discourage the practice, saying the births are becoming an added weight to an already overwhelmed Canadian healthcare system.

“Birth tourists being specifically people who are coming in specifically to have a birth then go back to their original country,” said Colin Birch, a Calgary obstetrician gynecologist.

They probably come to give birth for the advantage of birthright citizenship for future gains whether it be for themselves or their family, said Birch. “There are still immense advantages of living in a place like Canada,” he said.

“Is it a big problem? Well if you look at the numbers, absolutely not. It’s small.”

“Is it big enough to be a problem? I actually think it is,” he said.

FROM NEW CANADIAN MEDIA'S ARCHIVES: Birth Tourism: Rhetoric Ahead of Evidence

Because Canada is in a healthcare crunch, “every bed is sacred,” said Birch.

As a healthcare system we are suffering from a capacity point of view and the expectation is to do more with less, he said.

“Canada is not really set up, because of its socialized healthcare system, for private-pay patients and the demands that come with private-pay patients,” said Birch.

The expectations from paying patients to patients covered by provincial health care are different.

“Not saying their care is different. Care is care,” he said.

Health care is expensive and when it comes to neonatal care it is astronomical if a baby needs to be in the ICU, he said.

The unpaid bills of the hospitals are massive, he said.

Calgary has taken a different approach to hospital bills associated with birth tourism. Birch confirmed the Calgary system requires a $15,000 deposit.

“It’s a very honest and upfront system,” said Birch. “It doesn’t pay the hospital fees. It’s a deposit which pays basically physician fees.”

From the deposit what doesn’t get spent goes back to the patient, he said.

“We wanted to discourage the practice because it was becoming a bigger burden in Calgary,” said Birch. “The potential problem with that is the patients will then start moving to practitioners who are outside the city limits.”

It isn’t a perfect process but it’s an attempt to implement some sort of order, he said.

Prior to the deposit process, birth tourism had impacts on the capacity of the hospital and ability at times to care for Canadian patients, he said.

Canada and the U.S. are the only countries in the G7 to offer birthright citizenship according to canadianimmigrationexperts.ca.

“What we need to debunk is the idea that all people who are not insured are not necessarily birth tourists,” said Birch.

“There’s a large undocumented population in the country,” he said. They are contributing members of society but are not documented, Birch said.

He wanted to make it clear undocumented folks who are uninsured are not birth tourists.

Birth tourism is not just a medical issue but a social issue that should be addressed, he said.

In the fiscal year 2021-22 Guelph General Hospital had a total of 1,707 deliveries, of which 11 were people from out of country. This breaks down to 0.6 per cent of deliveries where the mother was from out of the country.

Between April 2022 to February 2023 there were 1,543 deliveries and 18 were people from out of country who gave birth at the GGH. This is 1.2 per cent of the deliveries coming from out of country.

At the other end of Canada in Vancouver, much of the same occurred at Richmond Hospital. In 2022, there were 22 non-resident deliveries. This number accounts for 1.5 per cent of the total deliveries at the hospital.

“All maternity patients coming to Richmond get the care they require to deliver their child safely. Care is always triaged according to the safety of the mother and baby – it is never delayed based on residency,” stated in an email from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).

VCH also said it does not support marketing of maternity tourism. Births from non residents have not led to disruptions of maternity services, said in the email.

“VCH will never deny urgent and emergent care based on ability to pay or where a patient is from, but we do expect to be compensated as we are accountable to B.C. residents for hospital and health care services. We are committed to collecting compensation from non-residents who use our medical services,” said in the email.

With files from Alec Regino

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Is 'birth tourism' a problem in Canada? Doctors on frontline of debate

Birth tourism appears to be on the rise in some parts of Canada, raising questions for doctors and hospitals, as well as debate about Canada’s practice of offering instant citizenship to infants born in the country.

“We sense there’s a growing demand in birth tourism from several countries, especially considering the instability in today’s world,” Alex Davidson, an immigration consultant and managing partner of the Toronto-based LP Group, told CTV News. “There are more and more people coming in and approaching us.”

Davidson said he typically sees two types of clients. Some are wealthy individuals, often from European countries, who want a “second passport” for their children and are able to pay anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000 to deliver a baby in Canada.

Davidson said some of his recent clients have included U.K. residents worried about the post-Brexit future once their country leaves the European Union.

Others are people from poor, crime-ridden countries who want to provide security for their children, and hope that their Canadian babies can provide an anchor in the country for the rest of the family.

“Canada has been perceived -- well, it is -- as a safe harbour on this planet,” Davidson said.

He said LP Group helps birth tourism clients find temporary accommodations in the country and the firm also has a list of Canadian doctors who are willing to see foreign patients.

“Elena” is a pregnant woman from Russia now awaiting to give birth in Toronto. She spoke to CTV News on condition of anonymity.

“My baby will get Canadian citizenship upon delivery and also with a Canadian passport he will get some benefits like free school and free healthcare,” she said. “It is good for the baby I think because the baby gets to choose if he wants to live in Russia, as in my case, or in Canada.”

At a recent Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada conference, Dr. Fiona Mattatall an obstetrician in Calgary, presented figures that show an increase in the number of overseas patients who have given birth in Calgary hospitals.

She said there are now about 10 “passport babies” born each month in the city’s hospitals. Her survey also found many doctors are uncomfortable with the practice.

While many overseas patients pay to have their babies delivered in Canada, some do not, leaving hospitals on the hook for the costs.

Dr. Saul Pytka, a Calgary anesthesiologist, said he’s alarmed by the issue.

“I am frustrated -- and I have to be honest, angered -- by the fact that as a society we are being abused. I think we are a very generous society,” he said.

Under the Citizenship Act, all babies born on Canadian soil are automatically granted citizenship, except for children of foreign diplomats.

Canada and the United States are the only G7 countries that have birthright citizenship. Other countries like France, Germany and Australia have revoked automatic citizenship unless at least one of the parents is a national citizen.

Birth tourism is not illegal in Canada. There is no official federal data on “birth tourism,” and some say the numbers are still small. According to Statistics Canada figures from 2012, the most recent year for which numbers are available, there were only 699 babies born in Canada to foreign mothers out of more than 382,000 births across the country.

But Davidson says there has “certainly” been an increase in birth tourism in Canada over the past few years with sites advertising companies that assist in getting pregnant women to Canada.

A potentially costly overhaul

In 2014, immigration officials urged the Conservative government to restrict granting citizenship by birth on Canadian soil to children with at least one parent who is a citizen or permanent resident.

But the report cited limited data and possible increased costs to provinces and territories as potential barriers to legislation reform.

Will Tao, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer, told CTV News Channel last week that overhauling birthright citizenship rules could be extremely costly for Ottawa.

“Let’s actually look at what are the motivating factors, what are the organizations that are working abroad, perhaps without reference to Canadian law, and promoting individuals to come here,” Tao said.

Online searches turn up dozens of organizations and groups in various countries that offer advice and help facilitate travel for women who want to give birth in Canada.

“Perhaps it is not illegal right now, but perhaps it needs to be curbed or organizations that are running the services need to be stopped,” Tao said.

He also said that panic over birth tourism, especially in British Columbia, is being fuelled by a “general misunderstanding of who a foreign national is.”

Many foreign nationals have study or work permits, “and in my mind these individuals are all on the pathway to permanent residency,” Tao said.

A petition that seeks to eliminate automatic citizenship for babies born to foreign nationals in Canada is adding fire to the debate.

Kerry Starchuk, a Richmond, B.C., woman, is calling on the federal government to enact legislation that will require at least one parent to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in order for a baby born on Canadian soil to be granted automatic citizenship.

The petition, sponsored by Conservative MP Alice Wong, has garnered more than 6,700 signatures since June 16 and will eventually be introduced in the House of Commons.

Starchuk said she started the petition because she suspects a house next door to hers serves as a motel for pregnant foreigners who come to Canada to secure birthright citizenships for their babies.

“I would like to put an end to birth tourism,” Starchuk told CTV News. “It is wrong to be able to come to Canada and expect to have your citizenship just because you have arrived here to have your baby. It is not good to have your single family homes being used to house pregnant women.”

According to a Vancouver Sun report, 299 out of 1,938 babies delivered at a Richmond, B.C. hospital were born to foreign mothers in a year-long period that ended March 31.

“Our hospitals are being taken advantage of by people coming from overseas or even America that come to Canada with the only intention to get citizenship,” Starchuk said.

With a report from CTV’s medical specialist Avis Favaro and Elizabeth St. Philip

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Traveling in Canada with a Baby

Most parents dread traveling with a baby, in canada or anywhere else, for fear that it will be a complete disaster, from start to finish. the best way to avoid frustration and ensure that your trip runs as smoothly as possible is to be prepared. .

Tips on Flying with a Baby

Today, much travel is done by air, a convenient and comfortable way to travel solo with your baby. There are a number of things to remember, so make a list and be organized.

Get a flight tag to attach to the baby stroller so you can leave it with an attendant before boarding the plane, and you can pick it up at the end of the flight. Trust me; you will have enough to carry with you to your seat!

Just like adults, babies are bothered by the change in cabin pressure during take-off and landing. One way to ease the pressure is to give the baby a bottle or pacifier since the swallowing will help their ears pop.

Packing your Carry-on

When traveling with a baby, in Canada or elsewhere, make sure your carry-on bag fits under your seat since getting up and down to reach the overhead compartment would be inconvenient for you and bothersome for the passengers. It is also important to check your airline’s carry-on regulations and restrictions in order to avoid being forced to leave anything behind.

You should pack enough diapers and wipes for the flight, together with plastic bags to dispose of them. A change of clothes for both you and the baby is a good idea in case of an unexpected mess. An extra pacifier may come in handy, as well as a favourite blanket from home.

Long Flight? No Problem.

Ideally, some babies will sleep during the flight, but it is not always possible to schedule your travel time with their naptime, so if your baby is awake, there are a few things you can to do to keep them engaged and entertained.

Pack your baby’s favourite book and some new books as well, a treasured stuffed animal or toy, and a teething ring if they are at that stage.

You can distract and amuse your baby by carrying him or her up and down the aisle several times during the flight.

Babies usually quiet down when they are being fed . The easiest way is to bottle-feed, but if you are breast-feeding, try to secure a window seat to maximize your privacy and to avoid potential uneasiness in the passengers.

When you are traveling with a baby, try and relax, and your little one will be inclined to do the same. Enjoy your trip!

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Childbirth in Canada followed by citizenship

Rating: 4.8/5 (voted 266)

A representative of the Legal Department at iWorld. Author of articles on Migration Law.

Young family after giving birth in Canada

Having children in Canada is an opportunity to ensure that your children automatically become Canadian citizens under the principle of «jus soli». This right also applies to foreigners. In order to become a Canadian citizen by right of soil, you must legally enter the country and give birth to a child in Canada.

Despite the fact that giving birth in Canada with obtaining citizenship is a fairly common practice among foreigners and is welcomed by the state authorities, the process of organizing the trip itself involves a lot of nuances. Parents-to-be must obtain a visitor’s visa, confirm that they have the funds to cover all related expenses, and provide the government with proof that they will be returning to their country of citizenship after the baby is born. Even a short trip to Canada requires careful preparation and adherence to many conditions, as described later in this article.

Citizenship by birth given in Canada

The Citizenship Act states that Canadian citizenship by birth is automatically granted to a child born within the state (unless the laws of the countries of which the parents are citizens contradict this). However, the child’s mother must be legally present in the country. Immediately after the birth of a child, parents are not given the opportunity to obtain citizenship. They can only apply for a residence permit when their child is of legal age and acts as a sponsor.

How much does it cost to give birth in Canada

For Canadian citizens and permanent residents, medical care is free, because they pay taxes. Foreigners without a permanent residence permit should take care in advance to have funds to cover not only the doctor’s services, but also accommodation, travel, and other expenses. When all expenses are taken into account, including travel to and from Canada for non-residents, arranging the birth will cost about 40,000 USD.

Delivery and preservation prices depend on the clinic and province/territory chosen by the foreigner. Note also that a multiple pregnancy increases the cost by about 40%.

Average prices for childbirth in Canada

Pros and cons of giving birth in canada.

Canada has the lowest infant mortality rate due to its advanced health care system.

Other advantages of giving birth in Canada:

family members and close friends are allowed to be present during the birth;
anesthesia is administered solely at the request of the woman in labor;
mother and baby can be discharged from the hospital on the same day;
each delivery room is equipped with a separate bathroom and two hours after the birth, the mother can use it;
food is brought directly to the room;
the baby stays in the same room with the mother.

Some of the disadvantages of traveling to Canada to obtain citizenship for a child by birthright include the fairly high cost of medical services and accommodation, as well as bureaucratic difficulties in obtaining a visa.

Childbirth planning

In order to give birth in Canada, it is enough for foreign nationals to open a visitor’s visa, but this requires prior preparation and careful planning of further steps. Parents-to-be must not only justify the purpose of the visit, but also confirm it with documents. To do this, you will need to go through several steps.

Choosing a hospital and doctor

The first step in organizing a birth in Canada is to find a hospital and a doctor. To do this, parents-to-be need to choose a province or territory. Toronto and Vancouver are the most common places for foreigners to give birth, but less well-known Canadian cities also have good clinics and hospitals.

Top 5 maternity hospitals in Canada with good reviews :

Toronto Birth Center . You can find all the information you need about the doctors, nursing staff and services at the Toronto hospital website. One can also book a visit to the doctor of their choice.
St. Paul’s Maternity Care . The hospital is located in Vancouver, British Columbia. On the official website, you can not only choose a doctor and book a visit, but also find useful information for a mom-to-be.
Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre . The hospital is located in Ottawa, Ontario. On the hospital’s website, you can find a hands-on guide to birth planning as well as a doctor and obstetrician to choose from.
Maternity Care Clinic . The clinic is located in Calgary, Alberta. It provides medical services not only for childbirth, but also for breastfeeding support.
North York General . The hospital is located in Toronto and is the most popular among foreigners who come to Canada to give birth.

Signing a contract with a doctor

There is always a list of doctors on the websites of Canadian clinics. But before signing a contract, parents-to-be need to talk to the doctor in person, because some do not accept foreigners or do not have free time. Obtaining a doctor’s consent and signing a contract is a mandatory requirement when planning a trip to give birth in Canada.

In order to give birth to a child in Canada, parents-to-be must obtain a visitor visa (temporary resident visa). They must create an account on the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website and upload the following documents:

visa application;
a valid international passport and a copy;
information about family members;
2 photos 3,5 x 4,5 cm;
proof of financial support (for example, a bank statement);
a signed contract with a doctor that explains the purpose of travel to Canada;
certificate of no criminal record;
proof of good health.

The list can be expanded with other proofs. After uploading the documents, you will also need to pay the state fee for their review.

Relocation to Canada

After opening a Visitor visa, parents-to-be can enter Canada. You should bring all the original documents with you. Before the visit, foreigners also need to take care of the housing for the entire period of stay in the country and confirm it with documents (hotel reservation or rental agreement). Keep in mind, that some airlines refuse to let pregnant women over 28 weeks, so this information should be checked before buying a ticket. Foreigners who do not speak English should use the services of an interpreter, who will accompany them throughout their stay in Canada.

Childbirth and the postpartum period

It is possible to give birth in Canada, either in a hospital or at home. If the second option is chosen, parents-to-be should ask for help from a doula — a specially trained companion. In case the delivery is performed in a clinic, the mother-to-be is admitted to the delivery room when she has contractions. In Canada, partner delivery is widespread, and not only a family member, but also a friend can be present during the process.

A woman and her baby are transferred to the postpartum ward after 2 hours, and her condition is monitored before that. In polyclinics there are general rooms (2-4 people) and «family rooms», where only mother and newborn are staying — the average price of such a room is about 300 USD per day.

Doctors and assistants monitor the condition of the mother and baby at all times — from the moment of admission to the maternity ward until the mother is discharged. If no health problems are detected, you can leave the clinic in 2-3 days after delivery.

Obtaining citizenship for a child

To obtain Canadian citizenship for a child at birth, parents must obtain two documents for the child: a birth certificate and a passport. After birth, foreigners are given a certificate, which contains the data of the child, the parents, as well as the place of birth. The document must be taken to the Registry Office. The birth certificate process takes 1 to 4 weeks.

To become a Canadian citizen, the child needs a passport. The parents need to prepare the following documents:

birth certificate;
passport size photos of the child;
a receipt for the payment of the $44.9 USD state fee;
the application form completed and printed in duplicate on the Government of Canada website.

The passport manufacturing process takes from 10 to 20 days. The document is valid for 5 years.

Are parents eligible for Canadian citizenship

Foreign parents of a newborn baby in Canada cannot immediately obtain citizenship based on the birth. Once the child’s papers are processed and the period of permitted stay in the state has expired, they need to leave the territory of Canada.

Parents can apply for Canadian citizenship when their child reaches the age of majority and can sponsor them under the Family Sponsorship program . In addition, the Canadian authorities give citizenship to qualified personnel and investors, which can significantly reduce the time of obtaining a passport of the country.

The benefits of Canadian citizenship for a child

The Canadian passport ranks among the world’s top 10 most powerful every year, according to Global Passport Ranking. As of 2021, North American citizens can enter 184 countries without a visa. In addition, if a child is born in Canada, he or she will have a number of other privileges:

quality and free medical care;
a high standard of living;
free education in state universities (among the best in the world);
social benefits;
apply for any available vacancy in the labor market;
the right to vote;
the opportunity to hold public office and engage in political activity.

Today Canada is not only one of the most economically developed countries in the world, but also one that is safe and environmentally friendly.

But despite the support of the so-called birth tourism by the government, this way also has its risks. If foreigners do not adequately justify the purpose of their visit to Canada, the authorities may consider it as immigration fraud. To minimize the risks in preparation, many people seek help from licensed professionals.

Express Entry System for Immigration to Canada
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) is the pilot Atlantic immigration program to Canada
Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program
The Self-employed person immigration program in Canada
Immigration to Canada for programmers and IT-specialists

Alexey Nosovsky

«The market of immigration services is permanently evolving. There is a need for expert evaluation of new proposals, directions and programs. I hope my articles will help you navigate and make the right choice. Regards, Head of Legal Department of iWorld Alexey Nosovsky. »

Email: [email protected]

Thank you for the article.

I am considering which province would be cheaper to have my baby. I know you already gave an average cost but do you have more details as to what the recommended hospitals charge or which province charges less than the others?

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Recommended consent letter for children travelling abroad – FAQ

The following Questions and Answers supplement the Recommended consent letter for children travelling abroad .

For more information about travelling with children, consult the Children and travel page, the publication Travelling With Children , or seek advice from a lawyer. If you need help finding legal services in your province or territory, contact a lawyer referral service .

For additional information about entry and exit requirements for Canadian children travelling alone, with only one parent or with another accompanying person, see our country-specific travel advice and advisories or contact the nearest embassy or consulate of the destination country.

Note that all references to parents on this page apply also to legal guardians.

Note that Global Affairs Canada cannot provide you with advice about the Consent Letter for Children Travelling Abroad beyond what is offered on this website.

Most frequent questions

General questions

Legal and custody questions

Documentation questions, other questions.

What is the purpose of a consent letter? A consent letter demonstrates that children who travel alone, with only one parent/guardian, friends, relatives or a group (e.g. sports, school, musical, religious) have permission to travel abroad from every parent (or guardian) who is not accompanying them on the trip.
Is a consent letter mandatory? There is no Canadian legal requirement for children to carry a consent letter. However, a consent letter may be requested by immigration authorities when entering or leaving a foreign country, airline agents or Canadian officials when re-entering Canada. Failure to produce a letter upon request may result in delays or refusal to enter or exit a country.
If the accompanying parent has full/sole custody of the child, is it still advisable to obtain a consent letter signed by a non-accompanying parent who only has access rights? We recommend that even a parent who has full/sole custody obtain a consent letter from another parent who has access rights (also called visitation rights).
What information should a consent letter contain? There are no official guidelines for the content and format of a consent letter. For your convenience, we offer a sample consent letter on our website, which may be modified to fit your specific situation. You may also use our interactive form , which allows you to leave out information that is not available or applicable. Nevertheless, we recommend including as much detail as possible.
Who should sign the consent letter? The consent letter should be signed by parents who are not accompanying the child on a trip, including:
One or both parents who are married or in a common-law relationship and live together with the child. Both parents usually have custody rights over the child. In some provinces or territories, other terms (e.g. guardianship rights or parental authority ) may be used.
One or both parents who are separated, divorced or do not live together. In some situations, parents have “joint custody” or “joint guardianship” of a child, meaning that they make important decisions about the child together. In other situations, one parent has “sole custody” and is responsible for making important decisions for the child, while the other parent has “access rights.” We recommend that the letter be signed by all parents who are not travelling with the child, whether they have custody or access rights.
One or more individuals (other than parents) or an organization with guardianship rights and responsibility for the care of the child.
In Quebec, one or both parents with parental authority over the child. Whether the parents are married, in a civil or de facto union, separated or divorced, they have rights and duties relating to the child, unless a court order states otherwise.

Court orders or agreements sometimes specify who is or is not required to sign a consent letter for children travelling abroad. If in doubt about who should sign the letter, consult with a lawyer.

Up to what age should Canadian children carry a consent letter when travelling abroad? We recommend that anyone who is under the age of majority (under 18 or 19, depending on the province or territory of residence) carry a consent letter.
Who can witness the signing of a consent letter? The signing of the letter may be witnessed by anyone who has attained the age of majority (18 or 19, depending on the province or territory of residence). However, we strongly recommend having the letter witnessed by a notary public , as border officials will be less likely to question the authenticity of the letter. Outside of Canada, the signing of a consent letter may be witnessed by anyone who has attained the age of majority, including a consular officer at any Canadian government office abroad ( fees apply ).
Is it mandatory to have the consent letter witnessed by a notary? There is no Canadian requirement to have the consent letter witnessed by a notary public. However we strongly recommend doing so, as border officials will be less likely to question the authenticity of the letter.
If the parents are together (either married or in a common-law relationship), but only one parent travels with the child, is a consent letter still recommended? If the child is not accompanied by both parents, we recommend carrying a consent letter signed by the non-accompanying parent, regardless of the parents’ marital status (single, married, common-law, separated, divorced or never married).

General questions

Is a consent letter still recommended if a child will be accompanied by both parents for part of a trip, but alone or with only one parent for another part of the trip? We recommend that a child who is travelling with only one parent for even a small portion of a trip (e.g. when returning to Canada with only one parent) carry a consent letter signed by the non-accompanying parent. For example, if a child travels to the United States with both parents, but then the mother stays in the United States while the father brings the child back to Canada, the mother may sign a consent letter stating that the child has permission to travel back to Canada with the father.
If neither parent is accompanying the child, should they each sign separate consent letters, or can they provide a single letter with both of their signatures? Either separate letters or a single letter may be acceptable. However, if both parents choose to sign separate consent letters, we strongly recommend that both letters be witnessed by a notary public .
If children from the same family travel together without one or both parents, should they each carry separate letters or one letter listing all of the children? Either separate letters or a single letter may be acceptable. However, if the children will not be together for the entire trip (e.g. when returning to Canada), we recommend that they carry separate letters. We also strongly recommend that the letters be witnessed by a notary public .
If a child is travelling with several adults, none of whom are the child’s parents (e.g. relatives, group leaders, parents of a friend), should they all be identified as accompanying persons on the consent letter? It is not necessary for the letter to identify all adults as accompanying persons. Instead, we recommend that the letter identify one accompanying person, such as a grandparent or group leader, subject to that individual’s consent.
Can a parent fax or email a scanned copy of the letter to the accompanying person? Although there is no Canadian legal requirement for children to carry a consent letter, we recommend bringing the original letter, as border officials will be less likely to question its authenticity.
Is a consent letter recommended even for a day trip? A consent letter is recommended for all cross-border travel, even for a day trip, if the child will be travelling alone, with only one parent, with friends or relatives or with a youth group. The sample consent letter or interactive form can be used to create a suitable letter.
If one parent is deceased, what document should a child carry when travelling abroad? A child accompanied by a surviving parent who has full custody may carry a copy of the death certificate of the deceased parent. A child travelling without the surviving parent may carry a consent letter signed by that parent and a copy of the death certificate of the deceased parent.
If a Canadian child who holds another citizenship travels to the other country of citizenship without one or both parents, will the consent letter offered on this website be accepted by that country’s immigration authorities? The consent letter offered on this website may or may not be considered sufficient by a country’s immigration authorities, as some countries impose their own entry/exit requirements on minor citizens. For example, a child with Costa Rican-Canadian citizenship requires a legally certified consent letter, translated into Spanish and signed by one or both parents, plus a special permit issued by Costa Rican authorities, in order to depart from Costa Rica. Be aware that a foreign country may automatically deem a child born in Canada to be one of its citizens if one or both parents are citizens of that country. As a “deemed citizen,” the child may be subject to the same entry/exit requirements as other citizens of that country. We strongly recommend that parents consult with an embassy or consulate of any country where their child may be a “deemed citizen” and enquire about travel documentation and other entry/exit requirements before travelling to that country with their child. You may find additional information under “Entry/Exit Requirements” in the Travel advice and advisories for your destination country, our Dual citizenship page and our booklet Dual Citizenship: What You Need to Know .
What can be done if a parent refuses to sign the consent letter? We recommend trying to find out the reason for the refusal. It may be possible to clear up a misunderstanding or address the other parent’s concerns. Alternatively, family justice services (e.g. mediation) may help. For a list of services available in each province and territory, see the Department of Justice’s Inventory of Government-based Family Justice Services . You may also wish to consult with a family lawyer. Note that Global Affairs Canada cannot provide legal advice.
What can be done if there is a risk that the accompanying parent will not bring the child back to Canada? We recommend consulting with a lawyer without delay and proceeding with caution before signing a consent letter. For more information, see our publication International Child Abduction: A guidebook for left-behind parents or consult our Child abduction and custody issues page.
Is a consent letter still recommended from a parent who has been denied access rights? A consent letter is not necessary from a parent who has been denied access rights by a court order. We recommend that the accompanying parent who has full/sole custody of the child carry a copy of the court order when travelling abroad.
If a court order states that one parent can travel abroad with the child without the consent of the other parent, what documentation is required? We recommend carrying a copy of the court order stating that the other parent’s consent is not needed to travel abroad with the child. Any questions about the wording of the court order should be directed to a family lawyer.
Is it possible to write a consent letter without specific travel dates so that it may be used for multiple trips (e.g. if the child travels frequently or the non-accompanying parent is not readily available to sign)? We recommend carrying a letter with specific travel dates (as in the sample consent letter on our website). Doing so may help minimize complications when entering or exiting another country. Consult with a lawyer for information on obtaining a document stating that the child has permission to travel abroad on nonspecific dates.
If the accompanying person is not the child’s biological parent (e.g. an adoptive or foster parent) but has custody or guardianship rights, is specific documentation needed for the child to travel abroad? We recommend carrying a copy of a court order stating that the accompanying person is the child’s lawful custodian or guardian. If the child is in temporary care, we recommend carrying a consent letter signed by the appropriate child welfare agency representative granting consent for the child to travel with the accompanying person. Consult with a lawyer or the child welfare agency if in doubt about documentation requirements.
If the parents are separated or divorced, does the child or accompanying parent need to carry documentation (e.g. a court order or separation agreement) other than a consent letter signed by the non-accompanying parent? In addition to carrying a consent letter, we recommend checking with an embassy or consulate of the destination country in case other documents are required.
If the other parent is not in the picture and obtaining a consent letter is impossible, what other documents can be carried? If there is a court order stating that the whereabouts of the other parent are unknown and granting the accompanying parent full/sole custody, we recommend carrying a copy of that document. If a court order has not been issued, we recommend consulting with a lawyer to consider taking legal action. If the other parent was granted access rights by a previous court order, but has not exercised those rights in a long time and is now unreachable, we recommend consulting with a lawyer to consider obtaining an up-to-date court order. In either case, we recommend carrying a copy of the court order. If in doubt, be sure to consult with a lawyer, as each situation is unique.
What documents should a child carry when travelling abroad, apart from a Canadian passport and consent letter (if applicable)? Since parents are not identified on a child’s passport, we recommend that the child carry a copy of the long-form (or parental information) birth certificate, which clearly indicates the parents’ names. The long-form birth certificate is not a mandatory travel document, but it may help to establish the relationship between the child and the accompanying parent and/or the parent signing the consent letter. For more information on the long-form birth certificate, contact the government of the province or territory where the child was born. Check with the destination country’s embassy or consulate in Canada regarding additional documentation that may be required, including divorce papers, custody court orders or a death certificate (if one parent is deceased).
If the non-accompanying parent is not identified on the child’s long-form birth certificate and does not have access or custody rights, is there any reason for that parent to sign a consent letter? A consent letter is not needed in this case. However, we recommend carrying a copy of the child’s long-form (or parental information) birth certificate when travelling abroad with the custodial parent. If the child travels alone, we recommend carrying a copy of the long-form birth certificate as well as a consent letter signed by the custodial parent.
If the child is a naturalized Canadian or permanent resident and immigrated to Canada with only one parent, does the parent who lives abroad need to sign a consent letter? We recommend carrying a consent letter signed by the parent who lives abroad. The signing of the consent letter may be witnessed by anyone who has attained the age of majority (18 or 19, depending on the province or territory of residence), including a consular officer at any Canadian government office abroad ( fees apply ). If it is impossible to obtain a consent letter from the parent who lives abroad, we recommend carrying a copy of a court order granting full custody to the parent in Canada and stating that the other parent has no rights over the child. If a court order has not been issued, we recommend consulting with a lawyer, as each situation is unique.
Is there any reason to be concerned if the information requested in the sample consent letter or interactive form is not available or applicable (e.g. passport number, destination address)? The content and format of the child consent letter may be modified to meet your needs. The sample consent letter and interactive form on our website allow you to include information that fits your specific situation or to leave out information that is not available or applicable. However, we recommend including as much detail as possible.

We have revised our consent letter resources to serve you better. We welcome your feedback on the new versions at [email protected] . Please note that this address is to receive your comments and suggestions only.

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Minister of Tourism celebrates Canada’s tourism businesses during National Tourism Week 2024

From: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, made the following statement to mark National Tourism Week 2024

April 15, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I want to wish all Canadians a happy National Tourism Week!

“Canada is a tourism superpower. We have majestic mountains, dynamic downtowns, friendly folks and so much more. We have what the world wants!

“National Tourism Week is a chance to celebrate the faces and places that make our country so special, including the millions of Canadians who work in tourism.

“This year’s theme is Canada: Powered by Tourism , and it’s not hard to see why. Tourism is a pillar of our economy, helping employ nearly one in ten Canadians and generating billions of dollars every year!

“The people in our tourism sector are more than workers: they are ambassadors for Canada. They are often the first Canadians that a visitor meets when they arrive, and the last ones they see before heading home. The industry is a leader in hiring women, newcomers and young people—even the Prime Minister had one of his first jobs in tourism!

“Tourism is also about pride—the pride of sharing your home with the world.

“Our government is here for Canadian tourism. Guided by our Federal Tourism Growth Strategy , we want to help the industry reach its full potential, invest in Indigenous tourism and overcome challenges so tourism can thrive.

“Tourism has incredible potential, and we’re seizing it. Our goal is to increase the sector’s contribution to Canada’s GDP by 40% by 2030, to $61 billion. This means roughly 85,000 more jobs stemming directly from tourism.

“It’s about more than statistics, however. It’s about Canada taking its place as a tourism superstar. That’s why we’re supporting businesses through the Tourism Growth Program , a $108 million investment in tourism businesses across the country.

“Indigenous tourism has the power to advance reconciliation while creating opportunities across Canada. Through initiatives such as the Indigenous Tourism Fund , we’re partnering with communities and leaders to seize these opportunities.

“Of course, tourism is not without challenges, and we’re working with the industry to overcome them. We’re helping businesses attract and retain more staff. We’re improving transportation and housing. We’re also addressing climate change, an existential threat to Canadian tourism.

“This week, I’m inviting you to discover the attractions that make your community and country so special. Tourism is powerful because it creates connections, finds common ground and brings people together—and we need that now more than ever.

“Happy National Tourism Week!”

Marie-Justine Torres Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec 613-327-5918 [email protected]

Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada [email protected]

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Some couples struggle to get pregnant again after having a baby. What to know about secondary infertility.

For many people who have already given birth, deciding to try for a second child comes with the assumption that pregnancy will be inevitable. After all, they successfully became pregnant before, so why not again?

But according to the Cleveland Clinic , 11% of American couples experience secondary infertility , which is roughly the same percentage of those enduring primary infertility, or the inability to conceive their first child successfully. As National Infertility Awareness Week gets underway, experts explain how secondary infertility is diagnosed, what might be causing it and why it's important to have more awareness and understanding of the challenges some people face as they try for another baby.

What is secondary infertility?

The diagnosis of secondary infertility is given to couples who have successfully conceived without medical intervention in the past, regardless of whether or not that pregnancy resulted in a live birth. The successful first conception must have occurred without any assisted reproductive technology or fertility medications.

According to Dr. G. Thomas Ruiz, lead ob-gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., patients who have not had success in getting pregnant a second time after having unprotected sex for a year are considered to have secondary infertility. “For a normal, fertile couple, the probability of a pregnancy when the timing is right is anywhere from 15 to 18% depending on the patient’s age. By the end of a year, 90% of couples would have had a pregnancy within a year’s time,” Ruiz tells Yahoo Life.

What causes it — and what can be done?

Ruiz says that there are a number of causes contributing to secondary infertility, ranging from age-related issues to reproductive-organ scarring associated with a variety of illnesses. The male partner is typically tested before any further investigation of the woman to rule out low sperm count or other semen-related issues. “A lot of the time, it’s a different partner than their first pregnancy,” Ruiz notes. “They had kids, got divorced, have a new partner and he wants kids.”

Women may also be experiencing a lack of ovarian reserve , since they are born with a finite number of eggs. Other factors may be polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease or other, less common conditions that can cause scarring, making conception difficult.

Treatment depends on the root cause of infertility and, according to Ruiz, can vary based on a patient's age and other factors. “In terms of treatment, we take a history, do cervical cultures to make sure there’s not an underlying infection — usually a pelvic ultrasound — get a detailed surgical history because if they had a procedure that causes scar tissue that would certainly have a negative effect,” he explains. “Then you may do things like ... check tubal patency [to see whether the Fallopian tubes are blocked], which involves injecting dye into the uterus.”

For older patients, Ruiz recommends spending less time on diagnostics before referring patients to a reproductive endocrinologist to discuss intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) . Ruiz says, “Sometimes the secondary infertility is just because they are now 40 years old and trying to get pregnant.”

What it's like to deal with secondary infertility

Amy Klein, the author of The Trying Game: Get Through Fertility Treatment and Get Pregnant Without Losing Your Mind , tells Yahoo Life that going through secondary infertility after easily getting pregnant the first time around can come as a shock. The experience can feel frustrating and isolating — especially given the reactions from others that some women have received. “There’s an added sense of guilt, like this feeling you should be happy with what you have, or people telling you to be grateful that you have one [child] and to just enjoy that one instead of focusing on having more,” Klein says.

Klein has experienced this firsthand. When she was struggling to have another baby, people told her to just be grateful she was married. “I think if a woman has one child and wants a second, or has two children and still wants another, she shouldn’t feel guilty,” she says. “She should do what it takes to get there, and if it’s too hard, she can also feel OK stopping.”

But seeing celebrities — including astronaut and mom-of-one Kellie Gerardi and Married at First Sight star Jamie Otis, who is pregnant with twins after spending three years trying to give her son and daughter another sibling — open up about their own experiences with secondary fertility is refreshing, Klein says.

"When celebrities or public figures talk about their infertility, it helps destigmatize the subject — especially with secondary infertility," she says. "It’s nice to see them being so open about their journeys.”

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Jarjour said she was swimming with her 68-year-old father in the ocean near Varadero, Cuba, during a family vacation on March 22 when he suddenly had a heart attack and died.

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