A 78-year-old British woman is facing imminent deportation from Sweden after failing to apply for residence status following Brexit, a situation she describes as “absolute hell.” Joyce Thomas, a retired nurse who has lived in Sweden for 22 years, told the BBC that the uncertainty has left her unable to eat or sleep properly.
Thomas moved to the Nordic country with her husband, who passed away from cancer three years ago. However, after attempting to re-enter Sweden in 2023, she discovered that she and her husband had missed the deadline to formalize their residency under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. The transitional period for such applications ended on December 31, 2021, shortly after the UK officially left the EU on January 31, 2020.
Following a series of rejected appeals, Swedish migration authorities set September 8 as the deadline for Thomas to leave the country voluntarily. Her legal team continues to contest the decision, though she remains in limbo.
“I’m tired, I really am tired and I’m not young anymore,” Thomas said. “Where is the empathy? I’ve lived here for more than 20 years – I’ve got friends, I’ve got family.” She highlighted the emotional toll of potentially being separated from her son, grandchildren, and her late husband’s grave.
According to Eurostat figures, between 2021 and 2025, 2,490 UK nationals were ordered to leave Sweden, accounting for nearly a third of the over 7,500 removal orders issued across the 27 EU member states during the same period. The Swedish Migration Agency reported that 458 British citizens have been deported or forcibly removed since Brexit, though it declined to comment specifically on Thomas’s case due to privacy constraints.
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell acknowledged the difficulties faced by British citizens affected by the withdrawal agreement. Speaking to the BBC, he stated that his government would review whether measures could be taken to ease the process for those impacted. While the current framework was established by a previous administration, Forssell emphasized that “the government believes the rules should be applied generously” and expressed a desire for British citizens living and working in Sweden to remain.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office welcomed the Swedish government’s statement and offered its assistance in examining potential solutions.
Thomas’s case mirrors another recent incident where a British man with dementia and vascular parkinsonism, who has resided in Sweden for over two decades, faced similar deportation threats. Advocates argue that such strict enforcement overlooks the deep ties many long-term residents have with their host countries.
Rules are rules, but surely humanitarian considerations apply? A 78-year-old facing ‘absolute hell’ for paperwork misses deserves compassion, not removal.
This feels inhumane. She has built a life there for two decades and lost her husband. Deporting a pensioner over a bureaucratic deadline is cruel.