A Swedish MP has criticised the deportation and removal of elderly British citizens from Sweden over Brexit residency rules, saying the cases are harming relations with the United Kingdom as both countries seek to improve ties.
Häkan Svenneling, an opposition lawmaker for Värmland, said he had written to Sweden’s migration minister, Johan Forssell, after Joyce Thomas, a 78-year-old British widow, was given four weeks to leave Sweden following 21 years living in the country.
Letter Sparks Questions Over Deportations
Svenneling said Thomas was ordered to leave after an appeal failed a week earlier, and he asked Forssell what steps the government plans to take “to stop the deportations”. Svenneling is due to meet Thomas on Wednesday.
Thomas moved to Sweden in her late 50s to live nearer one of her sons and her grandchildren. Her husband, who did administrative work in their household, died of cancer in 2023. Thomas said she and friends had checked whether they needed to complete forms to remain after Brexit, and were told they did not.
She later submitted a late application in 2023, several weeks after returning from the UK, but missed the deadline of 31 December 2021. Thomas told the Guardian that she is in “shock” and said her situation has left her feeling unwell, with her removal imminent.
Withdrawal Agreement And Missed Deadlines
Svenneling argued that British citizens who were legally resident in Sweden before the UK’s exit from the EU should retain their existing rights under the withdrawal agreement. He said the EU-UK treaty was not intended to strip people who had lived in Sweden for decades of their right to remain due to a missed deadline or alleged shortcomings in an application.
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His intervention also adds to growing pressure on Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and his centre-right minority coalition to address concerns about how Sweden is applying the legally binding withdrawal agreement.
Svenneling said the UK had long been an important partner for Sweden and described the removals as damaging bilateral relations.
Picture courtesy of The Guardian
Another Elderly Case Highlighted
The MP also cited another case involving Horace (George) Mason, 74, who has dementia and Parkinson’s disease and is in full-time care. Mason moved to Sweden 25 years ago to be near his son Carl and grandchildren and was also given four weeks to leave.
Mason’s family tried a second legal route to remain, arguing that European human rights rules require him to be able to stay close to relatives who rely on him. The migration court of appeal ruled against the request, saying the state’s interest in regulated immigration outweighed Mason’s interest in continuing to reside in Sweden.
Writing in the Guardian, David Milstead, who leads the campaign group Brits in Sweden, said the group had raised concerns about Sweden’s approach as far back as 2020 and said the safeguards were “untested”. He said that among cases of genuine late applications brought to the group, it could not verify an instance where Sweden accepted the reasons for applying after the deadline.
UK Says Sweden Takes Stricter Approach
The UK Foreign Office said it had repeatedly raised concerns with the European Commission that Sweden takes a considerably stricter approach than other EU member states to late applications, with a disproportionate number of refusals. It said that in practice people were unlikely to have their grounds for a late application accepted.
Sweden’s migration agency said it could not comment on individual cases. It added that not knowing that a Brexit-related application needed to be made to remain in the country was not considered a reasonable ground.
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19 August 2026
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