Vancouver, B.C. — A luxury Chinese-run postpartum center is openly advertising “birth tourism” packages that promise pregnant women from China a Canadian passport for their newborn — all for the low, low price of a high-end “maternity hotel” stay in Vancouver. And Canadian taxpayers are quietly footing part of the bill when complications hit and the invoices go unpaid.
The viral post by influencer Andy Lee (@RealAndyLeeShow) on Monday highlighted an ad from Canada Baby (枫孕美加), a legally registered operator in both China and Canada that has run high-end facilities in the Vancouver area since 2014. The slick marketing promises “free baby care,” full refunds if the mother doesn’t make it into the country, and complete refunds for premature births or “unforeseen circumstances in China.” The real product? Instant Canadian citizenship for the infant.
Under Canada’s jus soli (right of the soil) rule — unchanged in 2026 — any child born on Canadian soil is automatically a full Canadian citizen from the moment of birth, regardless of the parents’ nationality, visa status, or intentions. No questions asked. The only exception is children of accredited foreign diplomats.
That newborn immediately receives benefits:
A Canadian birth certificate and the right to a Canadian passport.
The lifelong ability to live, work, study, and access public services in Canada anytime.
Free K-12 education and (as a citizen) full access to universal healthcare.
The power, at age 18, to sponsor their foreign parents for permanent residency.
Dual citizenship — perfectly legal in Canada — giving the child the best of both worlds while their parents return home.
Critics call it “citizenship for sale” and an “anchor baby” loophole that bypasses Canada’s immigration system entirely.
But the real sting comes when things go wrong. Non-resident mothers are supposed to pay privately — hospitals demand deposits of $8,200 for a vaginal birth or $13,300 for a C-section — yet unpaid bills continue to pile up. A BMC Health Services study found roughly one-third of birth tourist mothers still leave medical debts behind. In one notorious 2012 case at Richmond Hospital, a single unpaid bill for maternal and neonatal intensive care (which can cost $10,000 per day) ballooned to over $1.2 million with interest.
Vancouver Coastal Health has invoiced more than $18 million for non-resident births since 2017, with millions still outstanding at Richmond Hospital alone. Nationally, “non-resident self-pay” births rebounded to 5,430 in the 2024-25 fiscal year — back to pre-pandemic levels and rising again — representing about 1.5% of all Canadian births. Concentrated in hotspots like Richmond, B.C., Toronto, and Montreal, these cases strain beds, staff, and resources meant for Canadian residents.
Hospitals report displaced local patients and overwhelmed neonatal units. Yet organized operators like Canada Baby continue marketing the service directly to affluent Chinese clients, complete with airport transfers, luxury accommodations, and hospital coordination — all while emphasizing the priceless “Made in Canada” passport for the baby.
Conservative critics have long demanded reforms to end automatic birthright citizenship for tourists, but successive governments have resisted. Meanwhile, the business model thrives.
As one frustrated Canadian taxpayer put it online: “We’re literally giving away the keys to our country — and sending the bill to the rest of us.”
