Joyce Thomas risks being forced to leave Sweden and to be separated from her son, grandchildren and her late husband's grave after authorities moved to remove her for missing a post-Brexit residence application deadline. The decision, which sets a voluntary departure date of 8 September, has left the 78-year-old retired nurse and her family in limbo.
Thomas settled in Sweden 22 years ago with her husband, who died of cancer three years ago. She says she only became aware she needed to file a formal application under the EU-UK withdrawal agreement when she tried to re-enter Sweden in 2023. Since that point, the migration agency has rejected multiple applications and appeals by Thomas, and her legal team is contesting the latest order.
Describing the prospect of removal, Thomas said, "This is absolute hell," adding, "I can't sleep, I can't eat. You get up in the morning, you don't know what's going to happen." She told officials she was exhausted and asked, "Where is the empathy? I've lived here for more than 20 years - I've got friends, I've got family." Those statements capture the personal stakes as the case proceeds through appeals and administrative review.
The case sits within a wider pattern of post-Brexit enforcement. Eurostat data show that between 2021 and 2025, 2,490 UK nationals were ordered to leave Sweden, almost a third of more than 7,500 UK nationals ordered to leave the 27 EU member states during the same period. Sweden's migration authority, Migrationsverket, said it could not comment on Thomas's case without her consent and has reported that 458 British citizens have been deported or forcibly removed since Brexit.
Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell said the current framework was implemented by a previous government and the administration "will therefore look closely at the situation and examine whether there are measures we can take to make the process easier for those affected." He added the government believes the rules should be applied generously and that officials were in dialogue with relevant authorities to identify possible measures. A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said, "We welcome the statement from the Swedish authorities that they will look at this issue. We are ready to support them in doing so."
For now Thomas remains in Sweden while lawyers pursue legal avenues and the Swedish government considers whether to adjust implementation of the withdrawal agreement for affected British residents. The outcome will determine whether she can stay near family and her husband's grave or must leave the country she has called home for more than two decades.
