Pregnancy, in order to stay in the USA

[Kaglets]

 A friend of mine who has a American boyfriend whom she met over here, and is now back in the States, is considering going over to see him on a holiday, but is planning to stay there by becoming pregnant and having his baby over there, she thinks that if she has a baby there, it means she can stay and remain with him without having to get married, does any one know if she can actually do this, as I believe she can only stay over there so many months, not enough for a full pregnancy, and even if she did get pregnant she can still be kicked out. Please enlighten me so I can knock some sense into her.

[B00]

That's disgusting, She's only having a baby so she can stay with this guy? What a brilliant way to bring another human being into the world........NOT!

[Peahead66]

Hello

Moral judgements aside - the legal stance on this is that no simply becoming pregnant would not entitle your friend to remain in the States. She can stay in the States for 90 days under the Visa Wiver Programme but if she wanted to stay indefinately it would have to get married.

[B00]

Sorry peahead- I can see that it was a proper Q that required answering....my "mummy head" came roaring to the front on this one though.......

Sorry to you kaglets for just adding my opinion instead of an answer which you were seeking. I hope that peahead's reply will persuade her otherwise now though!

[Kaglets]

 I agree that what she is doing is very very selfish, having told her several times about the moral issue, and my understanding was that she couldn't stay there merely by getting pregnant hopefully with her boyfriends knowledge, If she did want to be with him that much hopefully the answer to my question, may get her to think in aspects of actually solidifying the relationship and get married first then, think about pregnancy, she is after all well into her thirties and the relationship has been going on for a good few years. I don't know why she did not think too well.

[kaktus]

I can't answer your question exactly, and it does stupid to me that, that would be her only reason to have a child. But I actually suspect she might be right in some way. It's just that I think her chances to get a permanent residence permit would be bigger if she was married to him and and they had a child. But I'm quite sure it can't be a sure thing. How about looking in to the American immigration rules, there must be something there on reunion of families, and then you can even show her the paragraphs.

[Dom Tuk]

Any child born in the USA is automatically an US citizen by birth.

The parent/parents cannot become US citizens on back of this, until the child has reached a certain age (21) and the parent/s were living in the USA for that length of time legally.

For your friend, she will have to get married to her US (?) boyfriend in order to get a green card and maybe getting pregnant by him is a good way to force the issue.

If he disowns her after the birth she can still try and get a good solicitor to argue her case that she needs to be with/near the child.

Happens all the time and the number of people who resort to this is large. Most of them succeed.