Sweden's stricter enforcement of post-Brexit residency rules has left thousands of British nationals facing deportation, including 78-year-old widow Joyce Thomas, who was given four weeks to leave after 21 years living there because she filed her residence application too late. The case has drawn attention to the wider consequences of Brexit for long-term British residents in the EU, with the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office describing Sweden's approach as "considerably stricter" than that of other member states. It matters because it highlights how bureaucratic deadlines linked to Brexit continue to disrupt the lives of ordinary citizens years after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Around 2,500 British people have been ordered to leave Sweden, where a residence status card ("uppehållsstatus") is required for those who settled before January 2021. Mrs Thomas missed the 2022 deadline while caring for her husband, who died of cancer in 2023, and her subsequent applications were rejected on the grounds she lacked "reasonable grounds" for the delay. The UK Foreign Office says Sweden's refusal rate for late applications, over 27 per cent, is three times higher than in any other EU country, and the case comes as Sweden tightens immigration law more broadly, including new powers to deport people for bad behaviour. Labour MP Peter Kyle called Mrs Thomas's case "deeply concerning" and urged authorities to show compassion.