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An engineer turned shopkeeper who helped his customers experience the thrill of piloting a jet airliner while Australia’s international border was closed will now be forced to leave the country after his Global Talent Visa application was rejected.
Australian based aviation electrical engineer Ahmed Abdelwahed Saied Nasreldin has spoken to SBS Arabic24 that since media outlets caught wind of the Airbus A320 flight simulator in the back of his EzyMart convenience store on Elizabeth Street, hundreds have taken the opportunity to live out their dream in the pilot's seat.
At the cost of $100,000 he constructed his own model in order to keep his aviation career alive in the country he moved to in 2018.
However, despite his newfound fame and the aviation credentials he holds from working in Egypt and Europe, his hopes of remaining in Australia with his family were dealt a significant blow when he lost an appeal to overturn a decision by the Department of Immigration to reject his global visa talent aplication.
His application was rejected on the grounds that Nasreldin did not meet the requirements of the visa, a move he denies.
“They didn’t find my work and expertise compelling enough ‘with no professionally recognised records at the international level’ as well as not having exceptional and outstanding achievements,” he says.
“I applied for this visa about a year ago, knowing that I submitted all the right papers, documents and links that prove my internationally and locally recognised experience in Egypt.”
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SOURCE: SBS.com/au