Neha Chaudhry

Inventor’s future in Britain – and her ability to develop her innovative Parkinson’s walking aid – hangs in the balance after her application for a visa renewal was turned down


The inventor of a ‘smart’ walking stick that could change the lives of millions of Parkinson’s patients has been told she has 14 days to leave the UK after her visa renewal application was rejected by the Home Office – on the grounds of a minor technical fault – which puts her groundbreaking work in jeopardy.

Neha Chaudhry, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of the West of England, told Parkinson’s Life there was “a misunderstanding” with a date discrepancy on one of her documents in the 66-page form, which meant that it was rejected. The decision comes eight weeks after her initial application.

Born in Pakistan, the award-winning inventor has won nearly £100,000 of investment to develop her pioneering walking stick for people with Parkinson’s, which helps prevent a common symptom known as ‘freezing’ of gait – the sudden inability to walk. She has been in the UK since 2010 and began working on the device while studying for her degree in product design technology.

Neha said over the phone: “It’s very upsetting. This is not something I thought would ever happen. The thing that hit me when I first received the rejection letter on 10 May was, ‘what do I say to all Parkinson’s patients I have promised this product to?’

“I get emails every day from patients and their families, asking me when it will be ready, people who want to buy this product for their loved ones and are hopeful that it will be made. But if I have to leave, it would delay or put my work on hold completely. I don’t know how I would answer them. They would be very disappointed and it would just be very sad.”

The problem with her visa application arose after one of her submitted documents, detailing her status as a director of the company, mistakenly didn’t include a date.

Neha Shadid Chaudry
Neha with an early prototype of her ‘smart’ walking stick