Siavash Sobhani, a respected doctor and long-term resident of North Virginia, faced a recent upheaval as, at 61 years old, his citizenship was revoked.
According to The Washington Post, Sobhani received notification from the US State Department after applying for a new passport in February.
The letter informed him that, due to his father’s diplomatic status at the Iranian Embassy during his birth, he should not have been granted citizenship at birth.
The letter clarified that children born in the US to parents with diplomatic immunity don’t automatically gain citizenship. It stated Sobhani was under diplomatic immunity at his birth, thus not acquiring citizenship.
This situation is unprecedented for Sobhani, despite more than thirty years of practicing medicine, as his citizenship was consistently verified during passport renewals.
Having recently turned 62, Sobhani had contemplated retirement with plans to travel worldwide with his spouse to find a new home. Now, he must apply for lawful permanent residence following the State Department’s directives.
He expressed uncertainty to The Washington Post, having already spent over $40,000 in legal fees, unsure of the timeline for resolution.
“I’m awaiting an interview, but does this 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?” Sobhani questioned.
In a bid for assistance, he contacted the senator from Virginia and his congressional representative. Congressman Gerald Edward Connolly from Virginia’s 11th congressional district intervened on Sobhani’s behalf with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
However, Sobhani’s future remains uncertain, as speaking out against the Iranian regime leaves him unsafe to reside there. Moreover, he’s unsure if he’ll obtain a passport in time for his son’s wedding in Portugal next year and is unable to visit his seriously ill father-in-law in Lebanon.