Mainland mums look West after Hong Kong backlash
Mainland agencies that arrange for expectant mothers to give birth overseas are predicting a surge in those going to North America as Hong Kong tightens its policies following a public backlash.
A staff member at a Shenzhen-based agency said the number of mothers wanting to have their babies delivered in the United States had been rising - 'almost double the number in the first several months of last year'.
He attributed the rise, in part, to higher fees for delivering babies in Hong Kong and a government cap on the number of non-locals who can give birth in the city. Also, he claimed it was becoming easier to obtain visas to the US.
The fees for non-local mothers giving birth in Hong Kong have surged in the past year. Some Shenzhen agencies are now charging around 200,000 yuan (HK$245,000) to prepare mothers-to-be, including helping them clear customs and make arrangements to stay and receive care in Hong Kong, as well as getting proper birth documents. This is more than many quotes given for arranging births in the US.
Of the 200,000 yuan, 100,000 is used to secure one of the limited hospital beds, 90,000 covers medical expenses and 10,000 covers the agency fee. Another staff member with the agency said the price of delivering babies in Hong Kong fluctuated month to month. By comparison, the price in the US was relatively stable, between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan.
Canada is another option, and the agency generally charges more than 300,000 yuan to arrange for births there, as 'Canadian citizens enjoy the best welfare'. But he added that his agency had suspended the service due to a high rate of visa applications being denied.
One agency that specialises in helping mainlanders deliver babies in Saipan, a US island, charges just 70,000 yuan for round-trip tickets to the island, medical services and two months' food and accommodation. The island has not required visas for Chinese tourists since 2009, and the agency claims people born there automatically get US citizenship.
The staffer said several hundred mainland women had flown to the island each year since 2009 to have their babies.
A Shanghai father who recently returned from Washington, where his wife is preparing to give birth to their first baby, said he did not consider having the baby in Hong Kong. He said there was much discrimination in the city and it wasn't close enough to Shanghai to be convenient. Also, he has a US work visa and his wife got a visiting visa. They also have relatives in Washington.
The father said he would spend up to 300,000 yuan to ensure his baby was born in the US, where he would have more options as he grew up.
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There were this many boys born to every 100 girls on the mainland in 2010, a result of sex-selection abortions
