After falling sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada is seeing a renewed rise in so-called “birth tourism,” according to a new report released this week.
The report, published Wednesday, shows an increase in deliveries to non-residents in Canadian hospitals — a category that can include visitors as well as some foreign workers and international students.
Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) indicate that “non-resident self-pay” births — children born to temporary residents or visitors who are responsible for paying hospital costs — returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
Despite the rebound, the report notes that births to non-citizens and non-residents remain a small share of overall births in Canada, accounting for under two per cent of total deliveries each year since 2010.
Political debate over birthright citizenship
The issue has renewed political attention around birthright citizenship, which grants Canadian citizenship to nearly all children born in the country.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner recently attempted to amend Bill C-3 to restrict birthright citizenship to children born to at least one parent who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The proposed amendment was defeated by Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs.
Bill C-3 instead expanded access to citizenship, particularly for so-called “lost Canadians.” Under the law, children born abroad to Canadian parents can claim citizenship, as can their children, provided each generation has spent at least three years in Canada. The changes also apply to adopted children.
Author urges calm, highlights public trust
Andrew Griffith, the report’s author, told CTVNews.ca in an interview Thursday that while non-resident births have climbed back to pre-pandemic levels, the trend is not cause for alarm.
The data show non-resident births more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, rising from about 2,245 to roughly 5,430. Still, Griffith said his “major concern” is not the numbers themselves, but declining public “trust in government, as well as in immigrants,” which he said has weakened in recent years.
His comments come amid broader concerns about rising hostility toward newcomers. Reuters reported last year on a surge in hate crimes against visible minorities in Canada, while Amnesty International has documented what it describes as “shocking abuse and discrimination” faced by migrant workers.
Griffith said the data can help “foster open discussion,” while also underscoring the value many families place on Canadian citizenship and the lengths some are willing to go to secure it for their children.
The numbers
According to the report:
- Non-resident births fell from about 1.6 per cent of total births in 2019-20 to 0.7 per cent between 2020 and 2022, during the height of the pandemic.
- The share rebounded to about 1.5 per cent in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
In raw numbers, Canada recorded nearly 5,700 non-resident births in 2019. That figure dropped to around 2,400 in 2020 and about 2,200 in 2021 — a decline of more than 50 per cent — before climbing again in the following years.
Ontario consistently leads the country in non-resident births, typically recording about twice as many as second-place Quebec, both before and after the pandemic. British Columbia and Alberta rank third and fourth, respectively.
Griffith cautioned that the data include some nuances, noting that about half of international students in Canada are covered by provincial health plans, meaning not all births to non-citizens fall under the “self-pay” category.
While the numbers remain modest in the national context, the report suggests that birth tourism — sharply curtailed by global travel restrictions — is once again becoming a factor in Canada’s broader immigration and citizenship debate.