Siavash Sobhani, a 62-year-old doctor, recently learned he was stateless when he applied to renew his US passport.?
Despite being born in the US, attending school, and practicing medicine there for over 30 years, it came as a shock when officials revealed that he had mistakenly been granted US citizenship as an infant.
Sobhani, who celebrated his 62nd birthday this month,?told the Washington Post,?¡°This was a shock to me."
¡°I¡¯m a doctor. I¡¯ve been here all my life. I¡¯ve paid my taxes. I¡¯ve voted for presidents. I¡¯ve served my community in Northern Virginia. During COVID, I was at work, putting myself and my family at risk. So when you¡¯re told after 61 years, 'Oh, there was a mistake; you¡¯re no longer a US citizen,¡¯ it¡¯s really, really shocking.¡±
A letter from a State Department official revealed that Sobhani shouldn't have received citizenship at birth because his father was an Iranian diplomat. The letter explained that those born in the US to parents with diplomatic immunity don't automatically acquire US citizenship.
Surprisingly, this wasn't the first time Sobhani applied for a passport renewal. He shared with the Washington Post that he had renewed his passport multiple times without issues.
He highlighted that his US citizenship had been consistently confirmed every time he renewed his passport.
However, the unique issue surfaced only in February when he sought to renew his passport for an upcoming family trip.?
Sobhani revealed that he has already applied for citizenship using the details provided by the official.?Despite spending more than $40,000 (approximately Rs 34 lakh) on legal fees, he remains uncertain about his future.
¡°I¡¯m waiting for an interview, but does that mean I wait another year for an interview?¡± he told the Washington Post.
¡°Then another three years for the next step? Then another ten years before I can travel outside of the country?¡±
At 62, the doctor had been contemplating retirement, and he and his wife had envisioned spending the year exploring different countries. However, due to his citizenship issue, he is now unable to visit his critically ill father-in-law in Lebanon.
¡°If he passes away, I can¡¯t even go to his funeral,¡± Sobhani said.
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