Siavash Sobhani, retrospected medical doctor and long-time resident of
North Virginia, has been stripped of his citizenship at the age of 61.
Sobhani, who was born in the US, told The Washington Post that he received a letter from the US State Department in February, following his application for a new passport, stating that his father was a diplomat at the Iranian Embassy and he should not have been awarded citizenship at the time of his birth.
The letter states that children born in the United States to parents
enjoying diplomatic immunity do not automatically become citizens of the
United States. It said Sobhani enjoyed diplomatic immunity from the
jurisdiction of the US at the time of his birth and so he did not
acquire citizenship.
But this is Sobhani’s first experience with this problem in his more than thirty years of practicing medicine. Every time his passport was reissued during his life, the US State Department again verified that he was an American citizen.
Siavash Sobhani, who turned 62 recently, had begun to consider
retiring. He and his spouse intended to travel the world for a year in
search of a neighbourhood where they could purchase a house.
He must now apply for lawful permanent residence and fulfil the State Department’s guidelines.
He
disclosed to The Washington Post that he has already incurred over USD
40,000 in legal expenses and is uncertain about the potential resolution
date of his case.
“I’m waiting for an interview, but does that mean I wait another year for an interview? Then another three years for the next step? Then another 10 years before I can travel outside of the country?” he told the Post.
Additionally, he has written to the senator from Virginia and his congressional representative, asking for their assistance.
Gerald
Edward Connolly, the congressman representing Virginia’s 11th
congressional district, corresponded with US Citizenship and Immigration
Services on the physician’s behalf subsequent to Sobhani’s letter.
Siavash
Sobhani’s future is uncertain because he has spoken out against the
Iranian regime and is therefore unable to live there safely. In
addition, he’s not sure if he’ll get a passport in time to travel to
Portugal for his son’s wedding the following year.
The physician is unable to even see his gravely ill father-in-law, who resides in Lebanon.
