I lost my wife and daughter in the Air India crash. Now I’m being told to leave Britain By Daniel Perez April 24, 2026 Mohammad Shethwala, a 28-year-old Indian-origin man, has been ordered to leave the United Kingdom by April 22 or face deportation after losing his wife and young daughter in the Air India Flight 171 crash last year. The UK Home Office rejected his application to extend his stay on compassionate grounds, despite his dependence on his late wife for his immigration status. Shethwala arrived in the UK in March 2022 as a dependent on his wife Sadikabanu’s student visa. The couple settled in Rugby, where she had secured employment and was preparing to apply for a Skilled Worker visa to remain in the UK beyond 2026. Their two-year-old daughter Fatima was born in Britain. On June 12, 2025, Sadikabanu and Fatima were among the 260 people killed when the Ahmedabad–London flight crashed seconds after takeoff, striking a medical college hostel and bursting into flames. The tragedy claimed 241 passengers and crew members, as well as 19 people on the ground. Following the loss of his wife—who was his visa sponsor—and their daughter, Shethwala applied to remain in the UK under exceptional circumstances. However, the Home Office determined his situation did not meet the threshold for compassionate leave, stating he could access adequate mental health care and support from relatives in India. Shethwala has rejected this assessment, telling multiple outlets he has “nothing left” in India and that returning would prevent him from processing his grief. “I am not accepting this decision from the government. I’m not feeling well right now because of this. I’m not accepting this decision,” he said in interviews with The Metro and The Sun. His legal team is preparing to challenge the Home Office’s ruling in UK courts. While the appeal is pending, Shethwala will be permitted to remain in the country during the legal process. He was placed on immigration bail after the refusal of his Further Leave to Remain (FLR) application, with authorities directing him to depart by April 22 or face enforcement action. Advocates and lawmakers have criticized the decision as inhumane, arguing that depriving a grieving father of his home and support network in the UK compounds his trauma. Campaigners have urged the government to reconsider, emphasizing that compassionate grounds should account for the totality of his loss, including the dissolution of his family unit and his reliance on his deceased wife for legal residency.
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