Immigration authorities in Argentina report a large increase in the number of Russian women coming to the country to give birth.
According to the authorities, it is becoming increasingly popular to travel to cities such as Buenos Aires to give birth, so that the children can obtain Argentine citizenship and passports.
Florencia Carignano, the director of Argentina’s immigration office, says an investigation has now been launched into what she describes as “a lucrative business”.
That’s what the newspaper writes The Guardian.
– I had no choice
– Lying to us
On Thursday, a plane arrived with a total of 33 pregnant Russian women on board. Several of the women were initially rejected at passport control, but they are now said to have been allowed into the country.
Carignano says the women want their children to get Argentine citizenship, because it gives more freedom than a Russian passport.
– The problem is that they come to Argentina, register their children as Argentines and leave. Our passport is very secure worldwide. It allows passport holders to travel to 171 countries visa-free, she says.
– We cannot allow them to shamelessly lie to us and say they are tourists, when they are not, Carignano continues.
According to the director, about 10,500 pregnant Russians have arrived in Argentina in the past year. Just over 5,800 of these must have arrived in the past three months alone.
The Guardian writes that at least 7,000 of these women must have returned home shortly after giving birth.
sea view
Popular business
According to the news agency BBC there are Russian-language websites that offer various packages for mothers-to-be who want to give birth in Argentina.
The sites advertise services such as personalized birth plans, airport pick-up, Spanish lessons and discounts on facilities when staying at “the best hospitals in the Argentine capital”.
The packages cost from NOK 50,000 to around NOK 150,000.
One site claims its founder has been facilitating birth tourism and offering migration support since 2015, and that “the company is 100% Argentinian,” according to the BBC.
