New Delhi: After losing his wife and daughter in the Air India 171 crash, Mohammad Sethwala faces another blow. He is being asked to leave the UK, the country he moved to with his family in 2022 to build a better life.
The couple moved to London in 2022 for Sadikabanu Tapeliwala’s Master’s degree in International Business Management. While she was on a study visa, Sethwala was a dependent. After her graduation in 2024, she switched to a graduate visa. Sethwala continued to be a dependent.
Due to his wife’s death, his visa status was up in the air. He was exploring a visa extension when he was informed, on 9 April, that he cannot continue to live in the country without a valid visa. He is now being asked to leave the UK by 22 April.
“I have not even had the time to process my loss, and I am already dealing with uncertainty about whether I can be here,” Sethwala told ThePrint over a WhatsApp call.
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Automated response
The Air India flight carrying 242 people crashed near Ahmedabad airport on 12 June 2025. When Sethwala heard the news of the crash, he booked the first flight to India.
For the next few weeks, Sethwala stayed back with his family. Due to the long absence from work, Sethwala was let go from his job as a manager at an F&B company. He returned to London on 27 July. He was not asked any questions at immigration and was allowed to enter the UK.
“After that trip I also went to Canada, at immigration there were no questions asked then either,” said Sethwala.
Tapeliwala had secured a job and was going to start working, but before that she flew to India with their two-year-old daughter, Fatima Sethwala, to attend a wedding.
After her death, he also applied at the same company, however, he could not meet the higher salary requirements necessary for visa sponsorship. For a Skilled Worker Visa, applicants must have a salary of £41,700 per year. No such stipulation exists for dependents of those on a Graduate Visa.
After reaching London, Sethwala contacted a solicitor, who told him that his visa would expire on 26 January. He applied for Further Leave to Remain (FLR), a UK immigration application that allows people already in the country to extend their stay or switch visas.
“My application was rejected, and I received an automated response (on 9 April), they did not even consider my situation or all the pain I have gone through,” said Sethwala.
He was told he had to leave the country in 14 days.
Sethwala returned to London nine months ago. He is currently working as a delivery driver for a food delivery service.
He has a diploma degree in taxation and worked as a manager at a food company. But the lack of a valid visa makes finding a job nearly impossible.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)