Visa-free entry for Chinese visitors to CNMI pauses Oct. 30

The Department of Homeland Security will pause a visa-free travel program for Chinese nationals visiting the Northern Mariana Islands. The pause takes effect at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 30. It applies to new applicants and those already approved.

The program, created in 2024, allowed prescreened Chinese citizens to stay in the islands for up to 14 days without a visa. It took effect in 2025. More than 3,000 travelers used it in fiscal year 2025. Those visitors were screened by Customs and Border Protection but did not need a visa from a U.S. consulate.

In April, senators Mike Lee, Rick Scott, John Cornyn, and Bill Cassidy asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to end the program. They warned it encouraged birth tourism and posed national security risks. Rep. Chip Roy and Rep. Tom Tiffany raised similar concerns in March.

Mullin’s notice cites concerns that the program could facilitate birth tourism, espionage, and illegal travel to Guam. Guam is a key hub for U.S. military operations. The notice states that visa-exempt travel may lower barriers to birth tourism. It also notes that birth tourism can strain the islands’ medical system. The department did not provide a specific number of births linked to the program.

DHS also warned that visa-free travel could be used for intelligence gathering near military facilities. The Northern Mariana Islands host Tinian Air Base. Guam hosts several other installations. The department pointed to previous cases where Chinese nationals were smuggled by boat from the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam. Those cases involved earlier travel policies, but DHS said they showed a vulnerability the newer program had not eliminated.

Travelers already in the territory may finish their authorized stays. They will need a visa for future visits unless another lawful exception applies. The suspension remains in place while DHS evaluates the program with the secretaries of state and the interior.

This move is part of a broader crackdown on birth tourism. A State Department task force launched Aug. 12 revoked more than 750 visas tied to suspected birth tourism activity as of late August. Spokesman Tommy Pigott said officials are working with partners to identify travel patterns that point to birth tourism networks.