British widow faces deportation from Sweden after 22 years

Meanwhile, a 78-year-old British widow has informed the BBC she is struggling to eat or sleep as the Swedish administration threatens to deport her over a late post-Brexit residence application.

Key points

• According to Eurostat data, between 2021 and 2025, 2, 490 UK nationals were ordered to leave Sweden.
• When the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, British citizens halted being EU citizens.
• During a transitional period, British citizens could apply for residence status under the withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU – which concluded on 31 December 2021.
• Nevertheless, it informed the Guardian last week that 458 British citizens had been deported or forcibly removed since Brexit.
• A spokesperson from the the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office remarked: We welcome the statement from the Swedish authorities that they will look at this problem.

Joyce Thomas, a retired nurse, moved to Sweden 22 years ago with her husband. This person passed away from cancer three years ago.

This came after they were informed by the Swedish authorities that they should have created a formal application to stay in the country after Brexit.

Thomas has since had numerous applications and appeals rejected, and Tuesday marks the latest deadline for her to leave voluntarily. "This is absolute hell, " she remarked from her home in Sweden.

"I can't sleep, I can't eat. You obtain up in the morning, you don't know what's going to happen."

Meanwhile, the Swedish migration minister informed the BBC that the administration will "examine whether there are measures we can take to make the process easier for those affected" by some consequences of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement.

When the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, British citizens halted being EU citizens. It meant they could no longer stay in Sweden with right of residence status.

Thomas remarked she and her husband were unaware that they needed to submit an application and she was only informed of the rule once she attempted to re-enter the country in 2023.

After years of appeals, the Migrationsverket, the Swedish administration agency responsible for migration, informed her last month that her voluntary departure deadline was 8 September.

Her lawyers are arguing against the deportation, but she is still waiting to hear from the administration.

Thomas remarked the possibility of having to leave her son, grandchildren, friends and husband's grave has become too much to bear.

"I'm tired, I really am tired and I'm not young anymore, " she remarked.

"Where is the empathy? I've lived here for more than 20 years – I've obtained friends, I've secured family."

According to Eurostat data, between 2021 and 2025, 2, 490 UK nationals were ordered to leave Sweden. This is almost a third of more than 7, 500 UK nationals ordered to leave the 27 EU Member States over this time period.

Notably, the Migrationsverket remarked it could not comment on Thomas's case without her consent and did not respond to a question concerning how plenty of British nationals are at risk of deportation.

Last month, a family informed the BBC how their father. This person has dementia and vascular parkinsonism and is living in full-time care in Sweden, was additionally threatened with removal after more than two decades in the country.

Swedish minister for migration, Johan Forssell, informed the BBC that the current framework was implemented by a previous administration and that it "will therefore look closely at the situation and examine whether there are measures we can take to make the process easier for those affected".

He did not address Thomas's case directly but remarked "the government believes the rules should be applied generously".

"The UK is a very important partner for Sweden, and we want British citizens who live and work in Sweden to be able to remain here, " he remarked.

"We are currently in dialogue with the relevant Swedish authorities to get a clearer picture of what measures may be possible, " he continued.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office remarked: "We welcome the statement from the Swedish authorities that they will look at this problem. We are ready to backing them in doing so."

Taken together, the developments around british widow faces deportation from Sweden after 22 years point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.