Swedish Court Orders Deportation of 78-Year-Old British Resident

An administrative court in Luleå upheld a decision by the Swedish Migration Agency to deport Joyce Thomas, a 78-year-old British widow who has resided in Sweden for 21 years. The court ruled that Thomas is ineligible to remain in the country because she applied for residency in 2023, missing the December 2021 deadline set by the EU-UK withdrawal agreement.

Thomas and her legal team argued that Swedish authorities failed to notify her of the application requirement. However, the court rejected this claim, stating that a lack of knowledge does not constitute reasonable grounds for a late application. The court further determined that Thomas is not particularly vulnerable despite her age, citing her remaining ties to the United Kingdom.

Thomas now faces a potential four-week window to leave Sweden voluntarily. Failure to do so could result in forced deportation and a ban on re-entering the Schengen area. The case has drawn attention from officials in Brussels and the United Kingdom, as other long-term British residents in Sweden report similar threats of removal due to the country's implementation of the withdrawal agreement.