Has lived in the US for 61 years: doctor wants to renew passport – authorities revoke citizenship

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Siavash Sobhani was born 61 years ago in the US state of Virginia. He spends his life there, studying and working as a doctor. Now he is suddenly stateless.

The reason: Sobhani wanted to renew his passport. To do this, he reported to the authorities as usual. As the Washington Post reports, he had already renewed his passport several times over the decades. He applied for an extension in February 2023 – in time for a family trip in July.

But instead of a passport, he received a letter from the US State Department. His U.S. citizenship will be revoked, the Post quotes from the letter. This was given to him “only by accident” when he was born 61 years ago, because his father, an Iranian diplomat, was in the US at the time. Now Sobhani can register via a website and apply to stay in the country.

The mistake went unnoticed for decades

“I am a doctor and have spent my whole life here,” he tells the newspaper. He always fulfilled his civic duties and was always at work. “When you’re told after 61 years, ‘Oh, there was a mistake, you’re no longer an American citizen,’ it’s really shocking.”

Now the doctor is waiting to speak to the authorities and hopes for the right to stay. And this in the country where he has lived since his birth. A “frustrating and worrying situation,” Sobhani said. Because as long as he waits for a decision from the authorities, he is not allowed to travel abroad. On paper, ‘American citizen’ Sobhani is currently stateless.

According to the letter, children of foreign diplomats will not be granted U.S. citizenship. Authorities don’t know how the mistake could have gone unnoticed over the decades.

His son’s wedding without him?

After all, politicians also noticed the gap after the case became known. Democratic MP Gerry Connolly, 73, wrote a letter to authorities asking them to take the case into account accordingly. “I trust that you as an organization understand how difficult it must be to be a U.S. citizen all your life and then find out you weren’t really one.”

Sobhani now hopes to regain his citizenship in the next six months. But he doesn’t know if that is realistic. Sobhani’s son is getting married in Portugal next year. By then, the doctor hopes he will be able to travel abroad again. Will that work? Insecure. (zis)

Source: Blick