No Country for an Iranian
A student perspective
Mehras
Karim
Hult MIB
San Francisco
n July, 2016 I was living my last few
days in Uxbridge, London. I was happy
that after five years I am now on the
verge of experiencing a massive change
and move to the United States. I had a
solid plan, gather all the necessary
I
documents, apply for the visa, pack my bags, and leave
for good. I gathered the documents, booked my visa
appointment in the US Embassy and started the
application process.
Visa processes for most who want to study abroad is just
a simple visit to the embassy and back, for Iranians, like
myself, it is a big deal our passport and media image
around the world, especially in the US, do us no favours.
After the interview, I was handed a white paper that
stated I have been rejected entry into United States
temporarily, that my case needs further administrative
processing. The student visa procedure takes less than
three days for most people, mine took four weeks of
agony and anxiety before I got my visa.
In August I finally had my visa and was happy to feel
like a normal human again but little did I know this was
only the beginnings of my troubles. My new life in USA
was going well and I was settling in and getting used
to it, I had friends and was doing well at school. Then
one morning in January I woke up to startling news and
everything I knew changed.
Imagine you wake up one day and find yourself on
Mars. There is no way back home, and you aren’t
welcome there. This is what happened to me and many
people like me. I woke up after a good night sleep and
found myself in a country that is telling me I am
welcome no more, does not honour my Visa and would
not let me come back if I travel abroad. I felt alone, I
felt like an alien and for the first time it made me feel
disgusted because I was born in Iran.
40