Siavash Sobhani,, 63, who was born in US lost his citizenship after applying for new passport at 61

The Virginia doctor, who was born, went to school in the DMV and and has practiced medicine in the region for more than 30 years, until the bombshell in June that rendered him stateless

State Dept. say he is not entitled to it because his dad was Iranian diplomat at the time of his birth at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Nov., 1961

Children born to parents with diplomatic immunity are not automatic citizens

Sobhani has applied for permanent residence, as instructed, but still doesn’t know when his case might be resolved

Siavash Sobhani [photo],, 61, became stateless when he tried to renew his passport in June this year – with officials telling him that he never should have been granted American citizenship, according to the Washington Post

A 62-year-old US-born Virginia doctor has been stripped of his citizenship, because of his late father’s status as an Iranian diplomat at the time of his birth.  Siavash Sobhani been granted American citizenship in at birth in 1961. He was born, went to school in the DMV and and has practiced medicine in the region for more than 30 years, until the bombshell in June.
Siavash Sobhani became stateless when he tried to renew his passport in June, as officials maintained that he never should have been granted American citizenship in the first place, according to the Washington Post.
Typically, all babies born in the US are given citizenship.  However, the State Department informed the Northern Virginia doctor that babies born in the US to parents with diplomatic immunity, as his father enjoyed as an Iranian Embassy employee at the time, shouldn’t automatically acquire citizenship.  
Sobhani, a prominent doctor, an alumni of George Washington University, Boston College and Georgetown Medical School, with an roster of 3,000 active patients, has lived in the Washington metro for his entire life, apart from a small portion of his childhood when his family relocated to Turkey. One sibling Rob Sobhani, 63, ran for US Senate from Maryland in 2012. 
When he sent in an application for a new passport in February, Sobhani he had no reason to expect he’d face any difficulties, having renewed his passport several times previously without problems. This time, it was set to expire in June, and he wanted to make sure he had a valid one in hand before his family took a trip in July.

Siavash Sobhani [childhood photo], has lived in the US – Virginia and DC – for his entire life, apart from a small portion of his childhood where his family relocated to Turkey

‘As a member of your parent’s household at the time of your birth, you also enjoyed full diplomatic immunity from the jurisdiction of the United States,’ a State Department letter to Sobhani seen by the Post read.  
‘As such, you were born not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Therefore, you did not acquire US citizenship at birth.’
Sobhani who can’t safely live in Iran because of his brother’s political ties to the US, and because he himself has spoken out against the government, said he was bamboozled by the letter – and the shock notice prompted him to start sleuthing through his family history. 
Since his father is dead and his mother has dementia, this has been a challenge, he said.

The State Dept informed Dr. Siavash Sobhani, [photo], that babies born to parents with diplomatic immunity – which his father enjoyed as an Iranian Embassy employee – do not automatically acquire US birthright citizenship

His research led to the discovery that his older brother, who was born in Kansas when their father was a military student, had an illness that required surgery as a baby. The need for the child’s medical care, led their father to seek a temporary job at the Iranian Embassy to extend their stay in the US through October and November 1961, the same month Siavash Sobhani was born at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 
The birth certificate shows Sobhani was born at Walter Reed that November.
They family went on to live in Turkey for several years, until returning to DC where Sobhani attended Georgetown Preparatory School. 
Sobhani has penned letters to Virginia Sen. Mark R Warner and Rep. Gerald E Connolly appealing to them for help. 
His letter said he has ‘the utmost respect for the laws governing this country’ and noted that he has committed his career to helping people in Virginia and the DC region.   

Sobhani said he’s been ‘directly involved in the care of tens of thousands of lives, having practiced medicine in the DC /Virginia metro area for more than 30 years, currently with an active patient panel of over 3,000 patients

Sobhani said he’s been ‘directly involved in the care of tens of thousands of lives, currently with an active patient panel of over 3,000 patients.’
‘I can only hope that the impact I’ve made in caring for our community of Virginians, your constituents, for the past 30 years will hold some weight in swaying your decision to intervene on my behalf,’ he noted.
Connolly wrote back to express his sympathies and promised to prioritize the case.  
‘I trust that you can imagine how difficult it must be to believe that you were a citizen of the U.S. your entire life, just to find out you actually were not,’ Connolly said in the letter.
‘Our office is respectfully requesting all possible consideration in expediting this case in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations.’
But Sobhani has no idea when he might regain his citizenship, or whether it’s guaranteed.

‘Man without a home’: Now stateless, US-born Sobhani [photo], has no idea when he might regain his US citizenship, or whether it is indeed possible to regain his statehood

Sobhani who has already spent over $40,000 on legal fees and still doesn’t know when his case might be resolved, understandably is hesitant speaking publicly about his situation.
Having applied for permanent residence, as instructed, he doesn’t want to do anything that might upset government officials who hold his fate in their hands. However, knowing how slowly the country’s immigration system can move, Sobhani worries that he could wait in limbo for years if top officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [USCIS], don’t hear about his case and agree to help him.