Annika Hirvonen, the immigration spokesperson for Sweden's Green Party, has formally called for the government to reinstate a humanitarian safety clause that was abolished in 2023. Hirvonen argues that restoring this provision is a necessary step to prevent the deportation of vulnerable, elderly British citizens who have established long-term lives in Sweden.
The push for policy reform follows significant media coverage surrounding the cases of 78-year-old Joyce Thomas and Horace 'George' Mason. Mason, who requires 24-hour care in a dementia home, has been issued a deportation order, as has Thomas. These cases have drawn renewed attention to the high rejection rate for post-Brexit residency applications in Sweden, which remains significantly higher than that of any other European Union country.
"It's just not right that someone who is in need of care for dementia or is extremely old and has been living for a very long time in Sweden should be deported," Hirvonen told the media. She explained that the previously valid clause allowed for residency permits to be granted in cases of "particularly distressing circumstances" for individuals already established in the country. Hirvonen emphasized that this solution, or a similar one, should be implemented to protect not only British citizens but also people of all nationalities facing what she described as unreasonable deportation situations.
The Swedish Migration Agency maintains a more restrictive stance. Press chief Jesper Tengroth noted that the current government-backed safety clause, which was passed in 2023 with support from the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats, is limited to "exceptionally distressing circumstances." According to Tengroth, this does not cover cases like those of Mason and Thomas. "It's not enough to be seriously ill, you need to be close to death and the care you need cannot be found in your homeland," he stated, adding that the agency considers the care available in Sweden to be comparable to that in Great Britain.
Hirvonen’s intervention follows a written parliamentary question submitted by Left Party MP Håkan Svenneling, who asked Migration Minister Johan Forssell what actions the government intends to take regarding the deportation of elderly British citizens. In response to the inquiry, Minister Forssell stated to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper that he would examine the issue to see how the government might "ease the processes."
While Hirvonen indicated she saw no legal obstacle to creating a dedicated amnesty for British residents who lived in Sweden before the UK left the EU, she expressed a preference for a broader solution. She argued that the current migration law system repeatedly generates unreasonable outcomes for long-established residents who are being forced out due to minor administrative errors. Furthermore, she criticized the government's previous attempt to address teen deportations by raising the dependent age limit from 18 to 21, arguing that it merely delayed the issue. She pointed out that requirements for work permits, such as a 34,000 kronor monthly salary, remain largely unattainable for young people, and that many still face the burden of paying for education as non-EU citizens.
