A sudden incident happened with Dr. Siavash Sobhani, who is a citizen of the United States and lives in Northern Virginia, where the government refused to consider him a citizen of his own country.
This happened with Dr. Siavash Sobhani, who was born and brought up in the US. He studied in the US, went to university, and has been practicing medicine in the country for about 30 years. He is now 62 years old and has suddenly become stateless. In an interview with the Washington Times, Dr. Sobhani said, "I'm in limbo."
Dr. Siavash Sobhani's passport was about to expire in June 2024. Dr. Siavash Sobhani wanted to renew his passport before his family trip. The family trip was to be taken in July 2024. Dr. Siavash Sobhani had applied for a new passport back in February 2023. Dr. Siavash Sobhani was expecting a smooth process, like always with passport renewal. But instead, he did not receive a passport and also lost his citizenship.
A letter was sent to Dr. Siavash Sobhani by the US State Department, because of which he was shocked. The letter read that Dr. Siavash Sobhani, who is now 62 years old, shouldn't have been granted citizenship at the time of birth itself. The government claimed that Dr. Siavash Sobhani's father was a diplomat with the Embassy of Iran. The letter contained a link that directed him to the website, from where he could apply for lawful permanent residence in the US.
Dr. Siavash Sobhani's words in the interview were, "This was a shock to me. I am a doctor; I have been here all my life; I have paid my taxes; I have voted for presidents; and I have served my community in Northern Virginia. During COVID, I was at work, putting myself and my family at risk."
As per the letter, Dr. Siavash Sobhani applied for permanent residency as he did not want to do anything that might upset government officials. Dr. Siavash Sobhani spent $40,000 on legal fees. He was clueless about when his case would be solved.
The letter by the government made Dr. Siavash Sobhani look into his family history. Dr. Siavash Sobhani discovered that when his father was a military student, he had a congenital condition for which he required surgery. During that time, his older brother was born in Kansas.
Dr. Siavash Sobhani's father had to do something to extend the family's stay in the US. Hence, Dr. Siavash Sobhani's father got a temporary job at the Embassy of Iran, where he worked from October to November 1961. The birth certificate showed that Dr. Siavash Sobhani was born in November 1961 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
In the interview, Dr. Siavash Sobhani also mentioned that he lived in Turkey for several years with his family before they moved to the US. Dr. Siavash Sobhani's schooling was done at the Georgetown Preparatory School, and for degree education, he went to George Washington University and Boston College. To learn medicine, he went to Georgetown Medical School.
With the utmost respect for US laws, Dr. Siavash Sobhani wrote letters to two Verginia senators for help. Dr. Siavash Sobhani emphasized that he has dedicated his career to helping people in Virginia and Washington, D.C. He also mentioned that he is directly involved in thousands of lives and currently has more than 3000 patients on his panel.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Zainab Pata)
