For a while there, it looked as though this had been resolved, but not so fast. About a year and a half ago, early in the Trump presidency's travel ban, we interviewed the head of a Harvard lab named Dr. Thomas Michel. Back then, he had gone to bat for a researcher that he really wanted, a heart specialist from Iran named Saeedi Saravi. Boston's medical community relies on overseas talent for research breakthroughs. Iran is particularly difficult when it comes to visas, but after help from some of the state's congressional delegation and a class-action lawsuit, Saravi did get a visa to fly to Boston — his wife Khatereh, too. But extending her visa has turned out to be problematic. Researcher Saeedi Saravi spoke with WGBH All Things Considered anchor Barbara Howard about his wife’s situation. This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Barbara Howard: So you did wait 18 months to get that clearance, and you joined the Harvard lab at Brigham and Women's, in Boston. Dr. Michel, your boss, said that for you, this was a dream job.

Saeedi Saravi: Yes, sure. It was my childhood dream.

Howard: In September of 2017, you and your wife arrived in Boston. Her name is Khatereh?

Saravi: Yes, that's right.

Howard: At this point, you were both 31 years old, the two of you had been married three years, and you got busy at the lab. What was she doing?

Saravi: She’s a pharmacist, and she was making herself ready for some national pharmacy exams.

Howard: So she wanted to be licensed to work here?

Saravi: Yes.

Howard: What was your daily life like outside of work with your wife here?

Saravi: We would walk around the Cleveland Circle reservoir. We were going window shopping. We really loved the Boston area and the Charles River.

Howard: You were happy, it sounds like.

Saravi: Yes.

Read more: Iranian Doctor Arrives In Boston To Do Research After 8-Month Travel Ban Delay

Howard: OK, but she's not with you today. Talk about why.

Saravi: Because her visa expired and after that, she went to the U.S. consulate in Dubai for the extension of her visa.

Howard: You have to go to Dubai to get an Iranian passport or visa.

Saravi: Yes, because there's no U.S. embassy or consulate in Iran.

Howard: So she goes to Dubai and you thought it was going to be quick?

Saravi: Yes, because all the documents were completed and also the officer told her that there's no problem, your visa will be issued as soon as possible.

Howard: Her visa expired in August, and you've been without each other for this whole time.

Saravi: Yes. She is still in Iran, waiting for the completion of administrative processing.

Howard: So you were allowed back into the U.S., but right now, she doesn't have a visa to get back.

Saravi: Yes. It's five years that we've been married, and we don't have any kids...

Howard: You want to get going on a family, it sounds like?

Saravi: Yes, sure, and just plan to have our first kid. But there's no chance right now.

Howard: What's a normal day like for you here without your wife?

Saravi: Now I wake up in the early morning, and then I prefer to go to the lab, and continue until night. I wait for Khatereh to wake up, and then after that we just have a video or voice call, and then I sleep.

Howard: Do you talk every day?

Khatereh: Yes.

Howard: You miss her.

Khatereh: Yeah.

Howard: She misses you?

Khatereh: Absolutely. Every day, we're talking about the future. I'm really depressed. She's depressed. Some days she tells me, 'Give up, come back.' But she knows that this job, this research, is important. But this is her feeling. And I have the same feeling. I miss her and she misses me.

Howard: When was the last time you spoke with your wife? What did she have to say?

Khatereh: We were talking about Canada. She was trying to find some apartments in different cities of Canada, from Vancouver to Montreal to Toronto, because she's trying to encourage me to leave the country. Because she's exhausted and she deserves to have a better life with her husband.

Howard: That's Harvard heart researcher Saeedi Saravi talking about the difficulties of being apart from his wife Khatereh, who is stuck in Iran, unable to join Saravi without a visa.