British widow in Sweden faces deportation after 22 years of residence
In Sweden, 78-year-old British widow Joyce Thomas faces deportation because she submitted her application for residence status after Brexit too late. The woman, who has lived in the country for 22 years, was required to leave Sweden voluntarily by 8 September, BBC News reports.
Thomas is a former nurse. She moved to Sweden with her husband, who died of cancer three years ago. Her son, grandchildren and friends live in the country, and her husband is also buried there. According to the woman, the threat of removal has caused her difficulties with sleeping and eating.
Residence status after Brexit
After the United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020, Britons ceased to be EU citizens and could no longer live in Sweden on the basis of the right of residence available to EU citizens. During the transition period, they could apply for residence status under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. This period ended on 31 December 2021.
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Thomas said that she and her husband did not know they needed to apply. She learned about the rule only in 2023, when she was trying to re-enter Sweden. Since then, her applications and appeals have been repeatedly rejected. Her lawyers are challenging the deportation, but she is still awaiting a government decision.
Authorities' response
Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell said that the government would review the situation and determine whether the procedure could be simplified for people affected by certain consequences of the EU-UK agreement. He did not comment directly on Thomas's case, but said the rules should be applied flexibly. The minister also noted that the government wants Britons who live and work in Sweden to be able to remain in the country.
According to Eurostat, British citizens were issued 2,490 orders to leave Sweden between 2021 and 2025. This is nearly one-third of more than 7,500 such orders issued in the 27 EU member states during this period. The Swedish Migration Agency, Migrationsverket, told The Guardian that it had deported or forcibly removed 458 British citizens after Brexit.
