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Canada sees increase in birth tourism, new data suggests

On Wednesday, a Policy Options report found a small increase in hospital births to temporary residents, including visitor visa holders and international students, with deliveries returning to prepandemic levels in 2024.
The rise follows a post-pandemic return to travel, as a 31-per-cent fall in international student visas and 21-per-cent drop in temporary foreign workers coincide with rebounded non-resident births, which dropped over 50 per cent during the pandemic.
Concentration in ten hospitals shows 2,895 non-resident births in Ontario, with large rebounds at North York General, Maisonneuve‑Rosemount, and Humber River‑Wilson.
In recent months a political fight has intensified as the Conservative Party pressed Ottawa to restrict birth tourism, but Michelle Rempel Garner's amendment failed and Bill C-3 preserves birthright citizenship.
Despite differing totals, the share of non-resident births indicates that Statistics Canada estimated about 35,000 of 366,000 births in 2024, while Andrew Griffith's hospital-payment approach yields far lower counts.

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‘Birth Tourism’ in Canada on the Rise Again Post-COVID, Report Says

The trend of “birth tourism” is picking up again in Canada following a sharp decline during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a report analyzing deliveries from non-residents in hospitals suggests. The report, published Dec. 17 by think tank Policy Options, indicates there is a 4 percent increase in births to temporary residents—including women on visitor visas, international students, and temporary foreign workers—during the 2024–25 fiscal y…

11 days ago·New York, United States

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