Interview with HH : In Transit: An Oral History Project about Crossing Borders

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: HH speaks about his experiences as an international student from Iran at Stanford University, and the challenges he has experienced because of his citizenship. He describes how he is sometimes viewed negatively, and how, over time, he has learned to be more understanding of the perceptions held in the United States regarding Iranian citizens. He describes the difficulties associated with obtaining a US visa, and how Iranian citizens need to travel to third countries such as Turkey to apply for the US visa. HH also speaks about the challenges he underwent when applying for the Canadian visa while being in Iran, and how he had to compile a justificatory narrative of about forty pages to apply for the visa. He also explains how, after his US visa expired, he has not seen his family and friends in Iran for over three years. He expressed fear that he will not be able to obtain a US visa again if he leaves the US. This is also the reason HH cited for not taking part in any international conferences. He expressed concern about his ability to apply to jobs that would require him to travel internationally because his citizenship would make it very difficult for him to obtain visas. He also pointed out how successfully obtaining a visa provides no guarantee of entry into the US. HH identifies “uncertainty,” “challenging,” and “fear” as words he associates with the visa system.

Type of resource	sound recording-nonmusical, text
Extent	1 audio file; 1 text file
Place	Stanford (Calif.)
Publisher	Stanford Historical Society
Date created	March 4, 2021
Language	English
Digital origin	born digital

Interviewee	HH
Creator	HH
Interviewer	Jayasinghe, D. Lakmali
Publisher	Stanford Historical Society

Conditions Governing Access	Due to the personal nature of the interviews, all content has been embargoed until at least September 2026, with some content embargoed for longer or indefinitely. All materials are restricted to users with a Stanford University ID.
Transcript	Title Transcript
Finding Aid	Title In Transit: An Oral History Project about Crossing Borders
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/pq484cy1476
Location	SC1581
Repository	Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Use and reproduction: The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).

In Transit: An Oral History Project about Crossing Borders

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