Former air steward refused visa and told to return to ‘nation I never called home’

A British Airways cabin crew member was forced to abandon his dream career eight years after arriving in the UK when the

- HOLLY BANCROFT

Home Office told him to move to a country where he says he has never lived.

Shady El Farra, a 28-year-old Egyptian national whose primary language is English, came to the UK to study in 2016, having grown up between the United States and Saudi Arabia due to his parents’ jobs as academics.

He was granted a two-year graduate visa in 2021 and started a career at British Airways as a cabin crew member. But he was forced to quit the job after an application for a private life visa, which allows people to stay based on strong personal ties to the UK, was rejected by the Home Office in November 2024.

Home Office officials said Mr El Farra should be able to integrate into life in Egypt, despite the 28-year-old explaining that he left the country shortly after he was born and has never lived there as an adult. The country also requires mandatory military service for everyone under the age of 30.

The initial refusal decision also told Mr El Farra that he would be able to “fully support yourself in India” - despite his application having nothing to do with that country. He told The Independent: “I’ve worked in the UK, studied in the UK, and now I’m being told I have no expectation of a future here.”