Joyce Thomas, a 78-year-old British widow, was told to leave Sweden after her post-Brexit application to stay was rejected as too late. She was given four weeks to go in November, and she is now taking the case to a higher court with pro bono lawyers.
Joyce Thomas and Brexit
Thomas has lived in Sweden for 21 years. Her case turns on a rule that allowed late applications in some circumstances, but only when an applicant could show reasonable grounds for missing the deadline. Thomas says she first learned in 2022 that she should have made a formal application after Brexit.
In comments reported by, Thomas said: "It is unbelievable at my age to be chucked out after being in a country for so long, when you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong". She also said: "I have no criminal record, no driving penalties, nothing. And I have lived here on my own financial means. I just think nobody has actually looked into this thing. I mean, if it was their family or mother, they wouldn’t like them to be in this situation."
Sweden in November
The rejection in 2024 came after authorities said Thomas could not demonstrate reasonable grounds for applying late. A later attempt to stay under national immigration laws was also rejected. The case now moves into a higher court, where pro bono lawyers will argue that her long residence and late discovery of the requirement should be weighed against the deadline decision.
Thomas’s husband, Gwynne, died of cancer in 2023. She said: "When Gwynne died it was the worst thing. We were married for 55 years; he was my best friend and meant everything to me after all those years. But, you know, it [his death] was an end. This is just unbearable limbo. It is horrible. I am not young. I have already moved from a house to a flat – and to start moving again and looking for another place? I will be dead by the time I would be settled."
UK and EU rules
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said Sweden takes a stricter approach than other EU countries. The wider issue now reaches about 2,500 British people ordered to leave Sweden after Brexit, a group that includes long-term residents who missed the formal step required to secure their stay. Thomas also said: "I am not young, and the idea I would have to come back and forth to visit my son and grandchildren and to visit my husband’s grave here … it is just horrible when you sit and digest it all."
Peter Kyle said: "While immigration decisions in Sweden are a matter for the Swedish authorities, I have consistently believed that the rights of UK nationals who exercised free movement rights before Brexit should be treated fairly and with compassion." He added: "I hope the authorities will carefully consider all the circumstances of Mrs Thomas’s case, including her long r"
For Thomas, the court stage is now the point that matters. The order has already fixed her deadline in November, and the higher court will decide whether the late application rule should leave room for her circumstances or keep the rejection in place.
