Sweden Confirms 458 Britons Deported Since Brexit

Sweden has confirmed that 458 British citizens have been deported or forcibly removed by police since the UK left the EU.

The figure, made public for the first time, relates to people who did not secure residency in Sweden after Brexit. It has been published as criticism grows over the way British nationals have been treated, with rights groups and activists pointing to cases involving long-term residents and vulnerable people.

Deportations Made Public For The First Time

Sweden’s Migration Agency, known as Migrationsverket, told the Guardian that the number of deportation decisions linked to residence refusals since Brexit totals 458.

In comments to Sverige Radio, Susanna Fonsell, a unit manager and legal expert at the Swedish Migration Agency, said a rejection of an application does not automatically lead to deportation. She added that agency statistics show deportation decisions following a refusal of residence status in only “approximately 400 cases”.

Critics say the headline number does not make clear which situations it covers. David Milstead, who leads the 9,000-strong activist group Brits in Sweden, said full figures and clearer context were needed.

He asked whether the 458 includes people who left after concluding their withdrawal agreement application was unlikely to succeed, or those refused withdrawal agreement status but later obtained permission under Swedish national rules before being ordered to leave.

Milstead also said the figure does not cover British citizens who were still allowed to remain in Sweden on temporary permits, with uncertain long-term prospects.

Deportations Continue In Ongoing Cases

Multiple individual cases described in reporting show removals are continuing. This week, a British woman said her husband, a former business director from Cambridge, was detained in Stockholm on Tuesday ahead of a forced removal. She said they have been trying to overturn the migration authorities’ decision for five years.

Earlier, the Guardian reported that John Sellers, a 34-year-old British man who has lived in Sweden since the age of 10, was deported from Gothenburg, separating him from his wife, Caroline. Another case involves Joyce Thomas, a 78-year-old British widow, who has been told to leave Sweden before next Wednesday. Friends of Thomas said they were seeking an injunction and had appealed to the European Commission.

They also said Sweden’s court of appeal had indicated she could face a re-entry ban and be placed on a watchlist preventing entry to a Schengen country, including Sweden, while the ban remains in effect.

The Swedish Migration Agency told the Guardian it had no indication that it interpreted the withdrawal agreement in an extreme way or differently from other member states. It said it applied the applicable law and that rejection decisions could be appealed.

Numbers For Applications, Refusals And Late Requests

Figures cited from Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office analysis show that, according to the latest available data, there were 14,233 applications for post-Brexit residence, including family members joining British citizens after the deadline up to 2024. Just under 4,000 were rejected. The refusal rate, the FCDO said, was about three times higher than in any other member state and higher than an EU average estimated at between 3% and 4%.

Late applications are allowed under the Brexit withdrawal agreement in both the UK and the EU, but applicants must demonstrate “reasonable grounds” for missing the deadline. The FCDO said that, in practice, late applicants in Sweden are not likely to have their reasonable grounds accepted.

Government Says Rules Followed, Opposition Pushes Changes

Sweden’s migration minister, Johan Forssell, said the government had followed the rules while indicating it was willing to review the issue. He said the relationship with the UK was important and that the government was investigating whether further measures could facilitate the process in future.

A UK government spokesperson said the FCDO continued to raise the matter with Swedish authorities and welcomed Sweden’s statement that it would look at the issue. The spokesperson said the UK was ready to support the review.

Niels Paarup-Petersen, the migration spokesperson for Sweden’s opposition Centre party, said the government should do more. He pledged to introduce new laws if his party wins the next general election to allow British nationals to reapply for post-Brexit residence, arguing that “a touch of humanity” was needed.

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11 September 2026