Deported and homeless at Heathrow

Charles, a sixty-five-year-old former British business director, arrives at Heathrow airport sobbing after being deported from Sweden, separated from his wife and home.

Five years fighting to stay

Charles had battled for five years to remain in Sweden after Brexit ended free movement rights. He was last in the UK in twenty twenty-two for one week.

Nothing left in Britain

An only child with no children and no property in the UK, Charles has been made homeless. He emigrated to Sweden nearly nine years ago and has no ties to Britain.

“I have nothing, nothing in the UK at all”

Sweden's hardline deportation record

Sweden has deported four hundred fifty-eight British people after rejected residency applications, a higher proportion in terms of its population than any EU member state.

Detained without warning

Two weeks ago Charles and his wife were asked to their local police station to discuss their migration case. He was immediately detained and told he would be deported.

Locked up before deportation

Charles was held in a Swedish detention centre for two weeks. He was given only a toothbrush, toothpaste and earplugs, which he received in a sealed envelope from Kriminalvården, the Swedish Prison and Probation Service.

Forced departure with nothing

Charles begged authorities to let him drive to Britain to collect belongings, saying he had nothing in the UK. They refused. He arrived at Heathrow with only two bags his wife packed.

Treated like a criminal

Charles says he has done nothing wrong. For nine years he learned Swedish, integrated into society and contributed to the economy. He feels punished for being a law-abiding resident.

“I've done nothing wrong but feel I've been treated like a criminal”

Pattern of controversial cases

Sweden has deported other long-term British residents including a seventy-eight-year-old widow after twenty-one years, a seventy-four-year-old man with dementia after twenty-five years, and a thirty-four-year-old who arrived aged ten.

Withdrawal agreement questioned

Jane Golding, chair of British in Europe, says Sweden's implementation may breach the legally binding withdrawal agreement that promised citizens could continue their lives as before.

Unequal monitoring and support

Unlike the UK, no EU member state has a statutory body to oversee withdrawal agreement implementation. Golding says unfunded volunteers trying to help British citizens enforce their rights are overwhelmed.

Opposition promises second chance

Opposition parties now on track to form a Swedish government have promised urgent laws to give Britons a second chance to apply for residency, though Charles faces an uncertain future in the UK.