Opinion ID: 3030694
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Iran

Text: [1] Nahrvani bears the burden of proof with respect to his eligibility for asylum from Iran. 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(a). An application for asylum must be denied if the alien has firmly resettled in another country. 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(c)(2)(B). “Firm resettlement” is defined in 8 C.F.R. § 208.15 as follows: An alien is considered to be firmly resettled if, prior to arrival in the United States, he or she entered into another country with, or while in that country received, an offer of permanent resident status, citizenship, or some other type of permanent resettlement unless he or she establishes: (a) That his or her entry into that country was a necessary consequence of his or her flight from persecution, that he or she remained in that country only as long as was necessary to arrange onward travel, and that he or she did not establish significant ties in that country; or 2890 NAHRVANI v. GONZALES (b) That the conditions of his or her residence in that country were so substantially and consciously restricted by the authority of the country of refuge that he or she was not in fact resettled. In making his or her determination, the asylum officer or immigration judge shall consider the conditions under which other residents of the country live; the type of housing, whether permanent or temporary, made avail- able to the refugee; the types and extent of employment available to the refugee; and the extent to which the refugee received permission to hold property and to enjoy other rights and privileges, such as travel documentation that includes a right of entry or reentry, education, public relief, or naturalization, ordinarily available to others resident in the country. [2] The IJ did not err in denying Nahrvani’s request for asylum from Iran. The evidence substantially supports the IJ’s conclusion that Nahrvani established deep and significant ties to Germany during his ten-year residence in the country. Nahrvani was granted permanent residency in Germany and renounced his Iranian citizenship in an attempt to gain German citizenship. See Andriasian v. INS, 180 F.3d 1033, 1043 (9th Cir. 1999) (stating that an alien has firmly resettled within the meaning of 8 C.F.R. § 208.15 “if a third country in which the alien has resided after becoming a refugee offers him permanent resettlement[.]”). Nahrvani married a German citizen, worked and traveled freely throughout the country, and practiced Christianity openly. Nahrvani made no showing that the conditions of his ten-year residence in Germany were so “substantially and consciously restricted by [the German authorities] that he . . . was not in fact resettled.” 8 C.F.R. § 208.15(b). As the IJ’s finding of firm resettlement in Germany is supported by substantial evidence, Nahrvani’s request for asylum from Iran must be denied. NAHRVANI v. GONZALES 2891