British widow, 78, told to leave Sweden under Brexit rules after living there for 21 years
Authorities say application to stay was made too late, as UK officials say Sweden takes ‘stricter approach’ than other EU countries
A 78-year-old British widow, Joyce Thomas, is fighting deportation from Sweden after her post-Brexit application to remain in the country was rejected for being submitted too late. Her case is one of 2,500 instances of Britons being ordered to leave Sweden, which the UK’s FCDO describes as an “inexplicably hardline approach.” Thomas, who has lived in Sweden for 21 years, is taking her case to a higher court with pro bono lawyers.
- Joyce Thomas, a 78-year-old British widow living in Sweden for 21 years, is fighting deportation.
- Her application to stay in Sweden post-Brexit was rejected because it was submitted too late, lacking “reasonable grounds” for the delay.
- Sweden has ordered 2,500 Britons to leave the country since Brexit, a number significantly higher than other EU member states.
- The UK’s FCDO has expressed concern over Sweden’s “hardline” and “stricter approach” to these cases.
- Thomas’s husband died in 2023, and she learned about the need for a formal post-Brexit application in 2022.
- She is now taking her case to a higher court with the help of pro bono lawyers.
- Swedish immigration authorities state that simply being unaware of the application requirement is not a sufficient reason for a late submission.
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