Who is Siavash Sobhani? Citizenship controversy explained as Virginia doctor loses U.S. National status

An American-born doctor based in North Virginia called Siavash Sobhani recently made headlines after his U.S. citizenship was revoked by the U.S. State Department Office, allegedly for a bureaucratic reason, as reported by The Washington Post.

The news outlet also reported that Siavash Sobhani was informed that he should not have been granted citizenship the first time as his father was a diplomat with the Iran Embassy.

A netizen reports about Dr. Sobhani's condition. (Image via X/Taniel)

Not only that, but the doctor was then directed to a website link to apply for a “lawful permanent residence” as per the contents of the letter obtained by The Washington Post.

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Everything you need to know about Siavash Sobhani

Siavash Sobhani is an American-born, Iranian-origin doctor based in North Virginia. He is 62 years old and is an internal medicine specialist, according to The Daily Caller.

The media source cites that Sobhani was born in November 1961 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland. However, he was briefly raised in Turkey because of his father’s job as a diplomat. He later returned to Washington, D.C., where he attended Georgetown Preparatory School.

He also attended Boston College and George Washington University before earning his medical degree from Georgetown University Medical School in 1990, as per his official website. Four years later, he finished his residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Later, in 1997, he established a medical practice clinic called Siavash Sobhani MD PC.

He has also been serving as the Concierge of Executive Healthcare and Chief Medical Officer at Praeventus Executive Health in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

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Exploring Dr. Sobhani’s citizenship controversy

In February 2023, Dr. Sobhani applied for a new passport, as his old one was set to expire in June, and he wanted to take an international family trip in July. However, recently, after a prolonged 9-month delay, he finally heard back that his passport would not be renewed via a letter from the U.S. State Department.

As per the letter, the State Department informed him that his American citizenship had been revoked under bureaucratic grounds. Those born in the USA to parents with diplomatic immunity do not automatically acquire U.S. citizenship by birth.

The now-North Virginia resident received a letter that read as follows,

“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. As such, you were born not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Therefore, you did not acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.”

After receiving the letter, Siavash Sobhani told The Washington Post it was “a shock to me.”

He also added,

“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 North Virginia. During COVID-19, I was at work, putting myself at risk, putting my family at risk.”

Siavash Sobhani continued by saying that after 61 years, when he was told, “Oh, there was a mistake, you’re no longer a U.S. citizen,” he could not feel anything other than shock.

He also added that he previously applied for passport renewal but never faced any issues. However, this time around, it was different, and he was asked to apply for legal permanent residence in the USA.

As per reports, the doctor who has been practicing in the USA for three decades has allegedly applied for permanent residence and has spent over $40,000 in legal fees to solve his issue. He has written letters to North Virginia Democrat Senator Mark Warner and Republican Gerald Connolly to help him with the matter.

In his appeal, he reportedly mentioned that he would not be able to stay in his country, Iran, as he previously slammed its government. In addition, his family member(s) were involved in U.S. politics (his brother ran for Maryland’s Senate in 2012), making the matter far more controversial.

As per Daily Caller, Republican Connolly has already responded to Siavash Sobhani’s letter stating his office was “requesting all possible consideration in expediting” his case. The outlet also mentioned that Dr. Sobhani hopes his matter will be resolved in six months.

It also remains uncertain whether Siavash Sobhani can lawfully practice medicine in the USA or his social security number will remain unchanged. He can also not visit his sick friends and family in London and Lebanon, nor can he travel for his son’s destination wedding next year, as per Outside the Beltway.