Rich Chinese turn to surrogacy for US citizenship  

中国人寻求“美国代孕”需求增 多为要个美籍孩子

“无需你经历生育的痛苦，也不影响你的工作，你只需要和先生提供试管胚胎，十个月后你们便可拥有一个美国国籍的孩子，这是目前最合适的项目。”坐在北京建外SOHO写字楼办公室里，身着一身职业装的郭玉一边翻阅着桌上厚厚的文件夹，一边向记者介绍。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The number of Chinese who hire American women for surrogacy has been on the rise in recent years, according to a report released by the China Press.

Such demand is creating a small but growing business in "designer" American babies for China's elite.

"Seeking an American woman for surrogate pregnancy is a kind of emerging luxury consumption among wealthy Chinese couples," said Guo Yu, a consultant at a Beijing- based agency offering surrogacy packages.

"The cost for hiring an American woman for surrogacy stands at about one million yuan ($164,196)," Guo said. "Yet it is still a cheaper option than the EB-5 visa, which requires a minimum investment in a job creating business of $500,000."

The surrogacy can also ensure the baby has US citizenship and pave the way for the parents' immigration to the US, Guo added.

So far, the business is growing fast enough that many US fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies are creating Chinese-language websites and hiring Mandarin speakers to cater to potential clientele from mainland China.

It usually takes about two weeks for a Chinese couple to obtain a designer baby, which includes preparations for the test tube embryo and embryo transfer, Guo said.

"Two weeks for 10 months of pregnancy, and it frees you from all the hardship of pregnancy," Guo added.

It takes about $300,000 in total, including $40,000 for an attorney, $2,500 each month for the surrogate mom, and about $20,000 for medical costs for the test-tube baby, according to Guo.

"The consumption targets high-income groups," Guo said.