Siavash Sobhani, a long-time resident of North Virginia and
a respected doctor, has recently been stripped of his citizenship at the age of
61.
He 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.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com