I totally get all the views in the comments calling her out for applying too late. It doesn’t really say when exactly she applied, just that they only realised late 2022 and got rejected end of 2024.
But I want to point out that the Swedish imigration office or whatever you’d call it in English (Migrationsverket) is one of the laziest and scummiest governmental organisations I have ever seen. And I have nothing to do with them, I only know from non-European colleagues how terrible they are themselves at keeping time. I had a colleague who made their application for extension of residency well ahead of time, only for Migrationsverket to take so damn long my colleague was forced to leave the country as no decision for them to get residency had been made yet. This is about someone with a steady job already living there 5+ years. A few weeks after they left they got the ok to return.
So, fuck Migrationsverket. While this woman probably fucked it too, I’d not be surprised if it wasn’t all her fault actually.
Can confirm, gov department created just to fuck immigrants in the ass. Ask the 100k people they just stole around $30000000 from with their citizenship bullshit.
The problem is most likely budgetary constraints. It hasn’t exactly been a priority to make the immigration experience good for the last 10 or so years
While rough, why didn’t she apply for residence before? It was pretty clear during Bre it that this would be a consequence.
It just baffles my mind. In Spain there’s also tons of british pensioners that had the attitude of “doesn’t apply to me” who were flummoxed that they now couldn’t stay, when they had every opportunity to apply for residence. It was even made easy for them, but they kept arrogantly insisting that it didn’t apply to them.
I can understand Sweden on this, “I didn’t know” doesn’t sound like a “reasonable reason” to apply late. She messed up by not being minimally aware of stuff she needed to as an immigrant. “My husband takes care of that” is not an excuse.
None of this sounds like a good reason to kick out an almost 80 years old woman from her home of 20 years. If the rules say otherwise, well maybe the rules are wrong.
If the rules say otherwise, well maybe the rules are wrong.
People getting into trouble because they don’t bother with the rules for years does not mean that the rules are wrong.
Generally, people getting into trouble should have a justification fitting the degree of the trouble. If the rules impose arbitrary trouble on people (say, by uprooting them from their home of 20 years for missing an arbitrary deadline), then that does make the rules wrong. The punishment very clearly does not fit the “crime” here.
Well, I’d say not bothering with the ramifications of the largest, most important and influential referendum your home country has ever had for 10 years in is very grave. It is incredibly naive and/or remarkably negligent.
This isn’t a ‘side effect’ from Brexit, but exactly what it was about: we want out, no more membership, no more free movement. To assume that this wouldn’t affect her freedom of movement is absurd. You’d even call it arrogant.
I’m sorry, this is entirely on her. To now try to shift the blame on Sweden for implementing what her populace voted for, is absurd.
Well clearly we have radically different values when it comes to empathy for our fellow man, so let me just say: I guess some people (i.e. you) do deserve the far-right. I wonder if you’ll change your mind if the AfD or National Rally or what have you leopards eat your face at some point.
This isn’t about empathy but about responsibility. I have empathy for her situation, but in my eyes, its her responsibility.
As for face-eating leopards: this is exactly such a situation. The British populace was lured into this vote by populist ‘promises’ and lies. Now, they have their face eaten. And that should be our problem/responsibility now? Imo, the only antidote to populist bullcrap such as Brexit or Trump is inevitably having to bear the consequences of your actions.
It’s a nice spin in the Guardian article, but let’s not forget that this whole ordeal called Brexit was not brought upon the UK from the outside but they chose so themselves. Including the consequences described in the article. Now trying to blame Sweden instead is exactly a leopard-manoeuvre. And don’t worry, should my country be dumb enough to vote the likes of AfD or RN (and it quite looks like it), I’ll not ask for special treatment either.
well maybe the rules are wrong
You are correct, Brexit is wrong.
That’s a complete non-sequitur, but yes.
My statement does not follow logically from the previous ones? I do not believe so, since the rule change was due to Brexit, which is a causal relation
I wasn’t talking about Brexit, though. Britain isn’t forcing and can’t force Sweden to deport people; that’s on the Swedish government.
Britain decided to stop being part of the free movement agreement with the EU because they didn’t want Eastern Europeans taking all their jerbs. Getting rid of that agreement was quite literally the goal of brexit.
Sure, but it can’t force Sweden to deport British people living in the EU; that’s a decision they made themselves. This is particularly clear when contrasted with literally every other country in the EU. From the article:
According to the most recent European Commission annual report on implementation of the WA, almost 4,000 applicants for post-Brexit residency status in Sweden were refused, out of 14,200 made.
By contrast, Bulgaria, which has a similar number of applicants at around 16,000, refused just five people, and Belgium, which had 13,000 applicants, refused 605, according to the same report.
According to FCDO analysis, Sweden’s refusal rate of 27.5% is three times higher than any other member state and considerably higher than the EU average of between 3% and 4%.
Bigots in Britain decided to throw British people in the EU under the bus, but that doesn’t absolve authorities in EU countries (in this case Sweden) for running over them with the bus. The Bulgarian example is particularly useful here; they got their excuse to deport the shit out of Britons in Bulgaria but just chose not to do so (presumably due to their center-left government).
Edit: I just want to say thank you. I appreciate seeing your comment, because what I overwhelmingly see in response to this topic here in Sweden is “well, them’s the rules so it sucks to suck.”
I know that the rules are wrong, that they’re inhumane and treat people without dignity. However, I never see this expressed by others, at most you get an apathetic shrug, and that’s more than a little discouraging.
Sweden has this mythology around it, that we’re a highly liberal and humane country. Perhaps we are in some regards, living here though and having grown up in poverty, I’ve seen some really ugly aspects of Swedish society I wish wasn’t that invisible.
It’s happening because of the current right-wing nazi government in Sweden putting more focus on deportations and tightening the rules around immigration. There’s been so many stories past couple of years of either elderly people being kicked out despite having lived here for decades, or teens/young adults that were raised and educated here being kicked out because their parents didn’t file a form correctly.
I recall this article from some months ago. A 95 year old woman, Rabea Allah Wais, who has lived in Sweden for approximately 20 years. She’s wheelchair bound. She lives with her daughter who takes care of her. There’s no one for her back in Iraq.
Even so, Migrationsverket believes that she should be sent home to Iraq because she isn’t legally allowed to be here. She’s applied for residence permit several times, but been rejected. During the period 2008-2022 migrationsverket says that she was “missing from their radar” which sounds like mismanagement on their part to me.
So now they want to put a disabled, 95 year old, woman, who possibly has dementia and needs full-time care on an aeroplane to be sent over to Iraq where she has no family to advocate for her.
I get that the laws are what they are but like you said, maybe they’re wrong. This case just strikes me as extremely inhumane and undignified. We should be doing better.
Jag vill bara vara med min familj, jag har inga egna armar och ben. Jag känner ingen i Irak. Snälla, låt mig dö här, säger Rabea Allah Wais.
I just want to be with my family, I have no legs or arms of my own. I know no one in Iraq. Please, let me die here, says Rabea Allah Wais.
Then there are the weekly articles about teens, who grew up here, speak Swedish, got fed and educated in our schools, and for all intents and purposes are fucking Swedish being deported because of some stupid formality somewhere.
See, when the right-wing nazi government took power they did this with the pretense that they were going to deport the rapists, the gangbangers, the criminals who couldn’t be fixed, what have you. Obviously, being idiots, people bought into that idea. They lapped up that fearmongering and voted for the burning children in great big ovens party, and now here we are.
why didn’t she apply for residence before?
Or citizenship. If she really feels that Sweden is her home she should learn the language and become a citizen.
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Knowing the language of the country you’re living in is just common sense
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True, she could probably have gotten citizenship right after Brexit, since she had lived in Sweden for 15 years at that point. The rules were pretty lax back then (and now of course Sweden is over-correcting, because that’s just what you do).
Say that about Indians / Chinese in Canada and you get labelled a racist 😂
Wonder what they would say in this case where it’s all white people involved.
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Could have applied for citizenship, no?
“Authorities say application to stay was made too late”
Brexit feels like forever ago now. It is sad… But It’s not like she hasn’t had ages to do it.
Btw speaking as someone who HAD to do it myself.
Editing myself quickly. I really didn’t intean that to sound as aggressive. Especially with her age.
I think she didn’t know she needed to do that. Doesn’t matter how long you could have done something if you never knew about it.
I only skimmed the article earlier, I think it explains the whole situation if you’re interested.
I think she didn’t know she needed to do that.
Well, that’s on her then. Not knowing about laws does not make them not apply to you.
Brexit was decided 10 years ago. So 10 years to sort out the consequences of Brexit. What did she expect? That Brexit does not apply to her? Yet she never felt the need to apply for Swedish citizenship despite calling it her home for more than 20 years now?
Yes, it is a personal tragedy, but why now blame Sweden for something the British populace decided? And what could easily be avoided by her in the last 10 years?
Her husband, Gwynne, died in 2023 of cancer. It was on a trip back from the UK in 2022, when they visited their second son in Brighton, that they first learned they should have made a formal application to stay in Sweden after Brexit.
She said her husband had been meticulous at keeping up with news relevant to British people in Sweden and had taken responsibility for all the administration in their household. She was sure he would have made the Brexit application had he known about it.
While late applications are permissible under the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the EU, Thomas’s submission was rejected in 2024 as she could not demonstrate “reasonable grounds” for applying late. A subsequent application to stay under national immigration laws was also rejected.
As someone with ADHD and debilitating allergy to bureaucracy, I can’t help but relate. I see what you’re saying, of course, but I also know that it’s too damn hard to navigate this kind of crap and figure out exactly what paperwork you need to submit and to where. Things slip through the cracks, and some forgiveness should be afforded.
As someone with ADHD and debilitating allergy to bureaucracy, I can’t help but relate.
Sure. Yet you will still find ways to pay your taxes, apply for passports, obey the traffic rules, etc. You either fight through it yourself and/or have people around you helping with what is most difficult for you. It doesn’t mean these rules and obligations don’t apply to you.
It was on a trip back from the UK in 2022, when they visited their second son in Brighton, that they first learned they should have made a formal application to stay in Sweden after Brexit.
Honestly: how can you, after hearing/seeing Theresa May on all channels and newspapers in Europe year after year repeating her “Brexit means Brexit!!!” mantra, be under the impression for so long that this won’t affect you, a foreign national living abroad? Because they are British? Because Brexit would only mean they can’t come to us, while we are still free to go wherever we please? I can’t help to feel some amount of arrogance emanating from this.
She said her husband had been meticulous at keeping up with news relevant to British people in Sweden and had taken responsibility for all the administration in their household. She was sure he would have made the Brexit application had he known about it.
I mean, we aren’t in the 50s any more. She’s her own person and has her own responsibilities. Also, the article mentions a family (son + grandchildren) in Sweden, so they weren’t alone these last 10 years. That would be one of the first things I’d ask them as their son after the Brexit vote passed: mum, dad, have you sorted out your citizenship here? This is serious.
You come across as callous.
Sure. Yet you will still find ways to pay your taxes, apply for passports, obey the traffic rules, etc. You either fight through it yourself and/or have people around you helping with what is most difficult for you. It doesn’t mean these rules and obligations don’t apply to you.
ADHD people often don’t. That’s what makes it a disorder. Also “or have people around you helping with what is most difficult for you” do you mean like her husband who was dying of cancer? Perhaps that was greater in the forefront of her mind than bureaucracy that the state could easily have automated.
Grief does strange things to people, particularly so for long term partners.
If you still can’t grasp how administrative formalities can feel like a Herculean task to some I recommend watching this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LCgHX5i6Ph4&t=2460s
She said her husband had been meticulous at keeping up with news relevant to British people in Sweden and had taken responsibility for all the administration in their household. She was sure he would have made the Brexit application had he known about it.
I have a crippling phobia of speaking on the phone, my husband handles all of the paperwork as a result. If he died today I wouldn’t know where to begin. This could have been this case with this lady, maybe she simply didn’t know until it was too late. I feel like bullying pensioners is not the best way to make immigration arguments though.
Immigration law is stupid exhibit 3001:
I feel bad for her in the same way that I feel bad for myself that my fellow citizens (USA) are terrible people. We have to suffer their horrible choices until we stand up to them and create a better society.
This is the patriotism we need more of!
Why would we need any patriotism at all? What‘s the difference between patriotism and nationalism, anyway?
“…Simply stating that the person was unaware of the requirement to apply is not, in itself, considered a sufficient explanation.”
The question is then, were any attempts made at all to make people aware of this? On the face of it it just seems to be petty anger taken out on unsuspecting british people for brexit.
The question is then, were any attempts made at all to make people aware of this?
I don’t believe there is any European alive that is unaware of Brexit having happened.
I can’t find any information about this myself but I read somewhere they they should have gotten information somehow. I would guess a pamphlet in the mail or something.
I would be surprised if they didn’t get any information directly from the migration agency but even if they didn’t they have some own responsibility to think of the consequences of leaving the EU and actively seek out information.
Not at least calling the migration agency during the whole Brexit ordeal is quite bizarre considering that immigration was the main reason they left the EU to begin with.
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