Why is Sweden deporting Britons faster than any other EU country post-Brexit?
The official talk is of the government acting with understanding and flexibility. But devastated lives tell another story
TL;DR
- Elderly Britons residing in Sweden, like 78-year-old Joyce Thomas and 74-year-old Horace Mason, are facing deportation after missing the Brexit residency application deadline.
- Sweden has a 27.5% refusal rate for post-Brexit residency applications, which is three times higher than the EU average and significantly higher than other member states.
- The 'Brits in Sweden' campaign warned in 2020 that the application scheme could lead to vulnerable people losing their rights if deadlines were missed.
- Despite a treaty calling for an awareness campaign, Sweden did not contact registered Britons individually, unlike other EU countries.
- Approximately 2,500 British nationals have been ordered to leave Sweden since 2021, accounting for about a third of the total EU figure.
- The Swedish Migration Agency's director general believed individual contact would not have made a difference, a view that contradicts evidence.
- Some individuals were refused withdrawal agreement status but granted temporary national permits, which eventually expire and can lead to further issues.
- Sweden's migration politics have shifted towards restriction, making remedial action more difficult politically.
- The UK government and European Commission are urged to intervene to pause removals, publish reliable statistics, and review the scheme.