Sweden Refuses 27.5% of British Post-Brexit Residency Applications

The Swedish Migration Agency, known as Migrationsverket, has refused 27.5% of post-Brexit residency applications from British citizens, a rate three times higher than any other European Union member state. This strict enforcement has led to a surge in deportation orders, including cases involving a 78-year-old widow and a 74-year-old man with dementia, both of whom lost legal appeals to remain in the country.

While the EU-UK withdrawal agreement permits residency for those with reasonable grounds for late applications, Migrationsverket has rejected claims of ignorance regarding application requirements. The campaign group British in Sweden argues that the Government of the United Kingdom failed to effectively communicate these requirements to citizens living abroad.

The Government of the United Kingdom has raised these concerns with Swedish authorities multiple times. However, the Swedish government maintains that politicians cannot legally interfere with the independent decisions of the migration agency. This approach contrasts with the Government of Denmark, which previously amended its laws to allow British residents another opportunity to apply after acknowledging similar communication failures.