 "Why has Sweden expelled 1,100 British nationals since Brexit?")
Sweden has expelled over 1,100 British nationals since Brexit. The statistics come in the backdrop of news that authorities had planned to deport a 74-year-old British woman with severe Alzheimer’s. Let’s take a closer look: What happened? According to The Guardian, European Commission statistics reveal that Sweden is deporting far more British nationals than any other EU member. The figures, put out by Eurostat on 31 March, show France and Germany ordered the deportation of 115 and 40 citizens respectively. Netherlands deported 720 British nationals, followed by Malta at 135. Meanwhile, not a single British national was deported from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Luxembourg in 2021 and 2022. The EU in total deported 2,610 British nationals over the same period, as per the newspaper. The Local quoted Swedish migration minister Maria Malmer Stenergard as saying the numbers were “complete news” to her. Stenergard, vowing to look into the matter, said, “We want them [Brits] here”. So why is this happening? For many that are being deported, it all comes down to mistakes or simply lacking the proper post-Brexit paperwork. The Guardian quoted Swedish authorities as saying the most people were deported for
- Uncompleted applications
- Late applications without reasonable grounds
- Applicants not fulfilling the requirements for residence status
Under the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, citizens of the UK had till 31 December, 2020, to apply for permanent resident status in their host country. [caption id=“attachment_12085172” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]
Representational image. Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Katherine Pool, the 74-year-old grandmother at the centre of the row, had moved to Sweden with her husband nearly two decades ago. Pool and her husband made the move in order to be close to her Swedish son and daughter-in-law as well as her four young grandchildren. The couple reportedly sold their home in UK and purchased a new one in Sweden. Years later, her husband passed.
At the age of 63, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Poole was granted permanent residency in Sweden, however, after Brexit she needed to update her documents. Unfortunately, Pool cannot speak, walk or feed herself. She is bedbound in a care home. Her family submitted an application on her behalf, but it was denied because her passport was out of date and there was no proof of her financial independence. Poole’s son, Wayne, said he was afraid that obtaining a new passport for her might hasten the deportation procedure. He added he was attempting to delay this in the hopes that someone would intervene to save his mother. “I am really worn out by all of this. The entire experience is taxing. There is always hope, and we will take all necessary measures to put an end to it”. “It just isn’t right,” Wayne added. Thankfully, the deportation has been placed on hold after efforts from the European Commission, Labour MP Hilary Benn and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, as per The Guardian. Broader issue But some say this is part of a broader issue. As David Milstead, part of the British in Sweden campaign group, told the BBC, “Sweden’s approach to implementing the Withdrawal Agreement has led to a lot of long-standing residents being forced out of their homes. “Sweden has issued more deportation notices to UK nationals during 2021-2022 than any other EU country. “This is in spite of the Withdrawal Agreement containing protections that should ensure that people like Mrs Poole get to stay. These protections clearly aren’t working.” Milstead further told The Guardian, “They also need to provide an explanation for why Sweden has issued around 50% of all deportation notices in the Schengen zone to Brits during 2021-22 and, likely related to this, why Sweden has rejected more residence applications than other EU countries for withdrawal agreement protections. “This has been a growing and obvious problem – no more looking the other way. The case of Mrs Poole is not unique – a number of longstanding residents have been forced to leave,” he said. Added Jane Golding, chair of the British in Europe group, “The problem that Kathleen Poole’s family has come up against is that the UK and some EU countries including Sweden, decided to go for a system where citizens had to reapply for their status post-Brexit. “We warned that it would be vulnerable and elderly people who would suffer as a result. People like Kathleen Poole - someone who has lived in another country for years and whose residence now depends on a successful application and is not capable of making the application herself. “Each EU country implements the Withdrawal Agreement nationally and there are differences in approach. That is why guidance across the EU on cases involving the vulnerable and elderly who have problems applying would help,” the lawyer based in Berlin said. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .