Chinese travel to U.S. to give birth for citizenship# WaterWorld - 未名水世界
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110614/wl_time/08599207769300
China's "Born in the USA" Frenzy
When Liu Li boarded a plane for the United States, she had a little bit of
makeup on, was wearing a loose dress, and had her hair up. She tried to hold
her handbag in front of her belly in a natural way, just as the middleman
had taught her. She was trying to look as calm as any wealthy Chinese lady
would look when travelling abroad. But Liu Li couldn't help feeling terribly
nervous: she was six months pregnant when she left for the United States,
where she wanted to give birth to an American citizen. (See: "On the Cutting
Edge [EM] China's Extraordinary Buildings")
Liu Li knew that going through customs would be a lot easier than obtaining
a U.S. visa. In order to obtain the tourist visa that enabled her to go to
America for the delivery, she had to carefully choose her clothes, and spend
a lot of time practicing her walking and interview techniques. She
memorized a host of details about her hotel booking and about famous sight-
seeing spots so as to convince the Embassy officer that she was just another
Chinese woman going shopping in the States.
The temptation of a 'born in the USA' child
Giving birth to a child abroad is not a privilege reserved to the stars and
the very wealthy. An increasing number of expectant middle-class parents
also fancy giving their children passports that they can feel proud of. "The
return on investment is higher than robbing a bank," the consultancy agent
tells women such as Liu. When Chinese children are born in America, they
automatically become U.S. citizens. Once they reach 21, their parents will
be able to apply for green cards and emigrate.
Those who would prefer a closer destination can go to Hong Kong, whose
passport gives access to more than 120 countries without the need of a visa.
Advantages include the fact that children will receive bilingual education
(which will give them a foothold in the international world), and the fact
that they will also enjoy the preferential policies for going to Chinese
universities.
After consulting quite a few agencies for expectant mothers, Liu Li chose a
reputable one. Airplane tickets, fees for labor, pre- and post-delivery care
cost her roughly 20,000. Since most airlines refuse to accept women
passengers who are more than 32 weeks pregnant, Liu Li set off for America
when she was six months pregnant and then checked into a Chinese birthing
center in California.
After her arrival, Liu Li realized that the area was full of facilities set
up for Chinese women like herself. On the limited occasions when Liu Li goes
to the Punete Hill Mall near her birthing center - the facility limits
walks outside its premises to three per week, each time for about three
hours - Liu Li bumps into lots of pregnant Chinese women. Birthing centers
such as Liu Li's, which are mostly situated in America's beautiful west
coastal areas, operate without a business license, and try to be as discreet
as possible. In April, a number of illegally converted maternity centers in
Los Angeles were discovered and shut down, which makes Liu Li very nervous.
(See: "China Stamps Out Democracy Protests")
Incompatible nationalities
Going to the United States to give birth and taking a foreign born child
back to China usually proves relatively easy. The difficult part starts only
later, as Song Jingwen is starting to understand. Because her son has a U.S
. passport, the law does not allow him to be registered in his mother's
local area, which means that he will not be automatically admitted to
Chinese schools. Song will have to register him as a foreigner, and pay an
extra fee. His access to education and health care also faces a lot of
constraints.
"Some parents obtain fake birth certificates for their children, or cheat
the Chinese Embassy to get them Chinese passports. But then they can't get
visas or go abroad," Song explains. She is still hesitating on what to do
next. If Song gets her son a fake hukou (the Chinese registration system),
which would make it easier for him to go to a local school, she fears that
all the efforts she has made up to now could be in vain.
A few years ago, Zhao Yong easily obtained a Shanghai hukou for his American
born child. "Every time we want to go to the States, we have to get the
Hongkong-Macao permit to go though Chinese customs, go to Hong Kong, then
fly to the United States and enter the country with the American passport,"
Zhao Yong says. "The trip is a little bit complicated, but if we fly
directly from Shanghai to the States, we won't be able to hide the truth."
Under Chinese law, double nationality is prohibited. According to the
American Embassy, once a child has obtained a Chinese hukou, he is
considered to have given up his American nationality. The United States is
not the only country with strict regulations. A child born in Hong Kong
doesn't get the Hong Kong resident identity card right away, but has to go
back to Hong Kong regularly - every year or two until he is 18 - in order to
register as a "returned resident," and keep his nationality.
The so-called 'citizen's welfare'
According to the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution (ratified in 1868),
anyone born in United States automatically becomes an American citizen and
obtains access to public education, university loans, voting, and so on...
Even so, if one does not work in America or pay taxes after the age of 15,
one can only enjoy very limited access to U.S. welfare benefits. "The system
doesn't totally exclude people who don't pay taxes here, but those who do
not pay as much tax as Americans do cannot expect the same benefits. But
each state has different regulations," says Mr. Yang, a Chinese born man who
works in New Jersey and has a green card.
"Giving birth to a child in the States is a wonderful dream, but a very
costly one too," Song Jingwen concludes. "People who choose to go down this
path must know that they will not be paying only for birthing and post
birthing care, but they will also be paying a lot more for the whole life."
China's "Born in the USA" Frenzy
When Liu Li boarded a plane for the United States, she had a little bit of
makeup on, was wearing a loose dress, and had her hair up. She tried to hold
her handbag in front of her belly in a natural way, just as the middleman
had taught her. She was trying to look as calm as any wealthy Chinese lady
would look when travelling abroad. But Liu Li couldn't help feeling terribly
nervous: she was six months pregnant when she left for the United States,
where she wanted to give birth to an American citizen. (See: "On the Cutting
Edge [EM] China's Extraordinary Buildings")
Liu Li knew that going through customs would be a lot easier than obtaining
a U.S. visa. In order to obtain the tourist visa that enabled her to go to
America for the delivery, she had to carefully choose her clothes, and spend
a lot of time practicing her walking and interview techniques. She
memorized a host of details about her hotel booking and about famous sight-
seeing spots so as to convince the Embassy officer that she was just another
Chinese woman going shopping in the States.
The temptation of a 'born in the USA' child
Giving birth to a child abroad is not a privilege reserved to the stars and
the very wealthy. An increasing number of expectant middle-class parents
also fancy giving their children passports that they can feel proud of. "The
return on investment is higher than robbing a bank," the consultancy agent
tells women such as Liu. When Chinese children are born in America, they
automatically become U.S. citizens. Once they reach 21, their parents will
be able to apply for green cards and emigrate.
Those who would prefer a closer destination can go to Hong Kong, whose
passport gives access to more than 120 countries without the need of a visa.
Advantages include the fact that children will receive bilingual education
(which will give them a foothold in the international world), and the fact
that they will also enjoy the preferential policies for going to Chinese
universities.
After consulting quite a few agencies for expectant mothers, Liu Li chose a
reputable one. Airplane tickets, fees for labor, pre- and post-delivery care
cost her roughly 20,000. Since most airlines refuse to accept women
passengers who are more than 32 weeks pregnant, Liu Li set off for America
when she was six months pregnant and then checked into a Chinese birthing
center in California.
After her arrival, Liu Li realized that the area was full of facilities set
up for Chinese women like herself. On the limited occasions when Liu Li goes
to the Punete Hill Mall near her birthing center - the facility limits
walks outside its premises to three per week, each time for about three
hours - Liu Li bumps into lots of pregnant Chinese women. Birthing centers
such as Liu Li's, which are mostly situated in America's beautiful west
coastal areas, operate without a business license, and try to be as discreet
as possible. In April, a number of illegally converted maternity centers in
Los Angeles were discovered and shut down, which makes Liu Li very nervous.
(See: "China Stamps Out Democracy Protests")
Incompatible nationalities
Going to the United States to give birth and taking a foreign born child
back to China usually proves relatively easy. The difficult part starts only
later, as Song Jingwen is starting to understand. Because her son has a U.S
. passport, the law does not allow him to be registered in his mother's
local area, which means that he will not be automatically admitted to
Chinese schools. Song will have to register him as a foreigner, and pay an
extra fee. His access to education and health care also faces a lot of
constraints.
"Some parents obtain fake birth certificates for their children, or cheat
the Chinese Embassy to get them Chinese passports. But then they can't get
visas or go abroad," Song explains. She is still hesitating on what to do
next. If Song gets her son a fake hukou (the Chinese registration system),
which would make it easier for him to go to a local school, she fears that
all the efforts she has made up to now could be in vain.
A few years ago, Zhao Yong easily obtained a Shanghai hukou for his American
born child. "Every time we want to go to the States, we have to get the
Hongkong-Macao permit to go though Chinese customs, go to Hong Kong, then
fly to the United States and enter the country with the American passport,"
Zhao Yong says. "The trip is a little bit complicated, but if we fly
directly from Shanghai to the States, we won't be able to hide the truth."
Under Chinese law, double nationality is prohibited. According to the
American Embassy, once a child has obtained a Chinese hukou, he is
considered to have given up his American nationality. The United States is
not the only country with strict regulations. A child born in Hong Kong
doesn't get the Hong Kong resident identity card right away, but has to go
back to Hong Kong regularly - every year or two until he is 18 - in order to
register as a "returned resident," and keep his nationality.
The so-called 'citizen's welfare'
According to the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution (ratified in 1868),
anyone born in United States automatically becomes an American citizen and
obtains access to public education, university loans, voting, and so on...
Even so, if one does not work in America or pay taxes after the age of 15,
one can only enjoy very limited access to U.S. welfare benefits. "The system
doesn't totally exclude people who don't pay taxes here, but those who do
not pay as much tax as Americans do cannot expect the same benefits. But
each state has different regulations," says Mr. Yang, a Chinese born man who
works in New Jersey and has a green card.
"Giving birth to a child in the States is a wonderful dream, but a very
costly one too," Song Jingwen concludes. "People who choose to go down this
path must know that they will not be paying only for birthing and post
birthing care, but they will also be paying a lot more for the whole life."