A 78-year-old British pensioner who has lived in Sweden for over two decades is facing the prospect of forced removal from the country due to a missed administrative deadline following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.
Joyce Thomas, a retired nurse, originally relocated to Sweden 22 years ago alongside her husband, who passed away from cancer three years ago. Under post-Brexit rules established by the EU and the UK, British nationals lost their automatic right to reside in member states and were required to submit formal residency applications during a transition period that concluded at the end of December 2021.
Thomas stated that she and her husband were completely unaware of the filing requirement until she attempted to return to Sweden from a trip in 2023. Following that discovery, immigration authorities and courts rejected her subsequent filings and appeals. The Migrationsverket, Sweden's migration agency, set a voluntary departure deadline for her. Legal representatives are continuing to challenge the decision, though she awaits a final response from officials.
The situation has taken a severe toll on the elderly resident, who expressed deep distress over the possibility of being separated from her son, her grandchildren, her social circle, and the burial site of her late husband. She questioned the lack of compassion from authorities given her long-standing integration into Swedish society.
Data from Eurostat indicates that thousands of UK citizens have faced removal orders across EU member states since Brexit, with Sweden issuing a significant portion of those directives. While the Swedish migration agency declined to discuss specific files without direct authorization, public records and media reports show that hundreds of British nationals have already been expelled since the new regulations took effect.
The case has drawn political scrutiny as well. Håkan Svenneling, a member of the Swedish parliament representing the Left Party, sharply criticized the administration's approach, characterizing the enforcement as an overly harsh migration policy that disregards deep personal connections to the country.
In response to inquiries regarding these administrative hurdles, Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell noted that the current legal framework was established by a prior administration. He stated that the government intends to evaluate potential adjustments to ease the process for long-term residents affected by the withdrawal agreement, emphasizing that Sweden views the UK as a vital partner and desires for established British residents to remain.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
