Doctor lost his US citizenship after trying to renew his passport; here's why

In a mindboggling incident, a 62-year-old doctor of Virginia origin lost his US citizenship despite being born in the United States and practising medicine for over 30 years in the country because of his late father’s position as an Iranian diplomat at the time of his birth.

According to a Washington Post report, Siavash Sobhani found out he was stateless after he received a letter from a State Department official, which states that he was granted US citizenship by mistake when he was just an infant. The letter received by Sobhani explained the details of this change. It informed him that those born in the US to parents with diplomatic immunity do not have eligibility to acquire US citizenship at birth automatically.

"This was a shock to me," Sobhani told the Washington Post. "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 at risk, putting 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," he added. 

The doctor also pointed out that he was indeed a US citizen, which was confirmed repeatedly throughout his life every time his passport was renewed through the same process.

In February, Sobhani applied for a new passport, and as any other US citizen, he expected no difficulties in the procedure as he had previously renewed his passport several times without any issue. But to his surprise, this time, the doctor did not receive a new passport; instead, he received a letter from the State Department stating that he should not have been granted citizenship at the time of his birth because his father was a diplomat with the Embassy of Iran. 

In the letter, the doctor was also directed to a website where he could legally apply for a permanent residency. Sobhani told the Washington Post that he had already applied for citizenship using the details shared by the official and had spent more than $40,000 (about Rs 34 lakh) on legal fees; however, he was still unsure of his future in the country.

“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 ten years before I can travel outside of the country?” he said.

At the age of 62, Sobhani is already considering retirement. He and his wife planned to spend this year exploring other countries, but after this incident, they are even unable to visit his father-in-law, who lives in Lebanon and is seriously ill. “If he passes away, I can’t even go to his funeral,” he said.

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