NewsUK NewsBrexitBritish widow Joyce Thomas, 78, faces being deported from Sweden after 21 years in the country under strict post-Brexit rules - but says she has done 'nothing wrong'14:43, 14 Aug 2026Updated 14:43, 14 Aug 2026A British widow has said she feels 'sick' as she faces being deported under post-Brexit rules.‌Joyce Thomas, 78, has lost her appeal against deportation after taking Sweden's migration agency to court over its decision.‌She has been living in the country for 21 years, but now faces being separated from her son, grandchildren and friends as she awaits a letter giving her a 14-day window to leave the country.‌The Swedish Migration Agency had rejected her application under the country's post-Brexit settlement scheme for British nationals, as she submitted it two years after the deadline.Ms Thomas argued there was not enough information provided to those affected about the deadline, having only found out about it from a Swedish border guard on a return trip to the UK in 2023. Her husband died of cancer four months later.‌She told the Guardian: "I am in shock. I feel sick. An individual’s life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wrong. I don’t take anything from this country. I am self sufficient, I put money in this country, have no criminal record."Under Article 18 of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, late applications on resettlement schemes can be accepted provided there are "reasonable grounds" for doing so.During the appeal, Joyce's lawyers had argued it was "not proportionate for her to be deported solely because she missed a deadline due to insufficient information", and that it was "not acceptable that the Swedish authorities failed to inform her that she needed to file an application and of the deadline by which it was to be filed".‌But the court upheld the migration agency's decision, leaving her facing an agonising wait for the letter of deportation arrives.The letter will give 14 days for her to leave Sweden - and if she fails to do so, she could be forcibly deported. Ms Thomas also faces a "re-entry ban" and the prospect of being barred from entry into a any Schengen country.A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We regularly raise concerns regarding Sweden’s protection of citizens’ rights under the Withdrawal Agreement with both the Swedish authorities and the European Commission, which is responsible for monitoring the implementation and application of citizens’ rights matters in EU Member States."Article continues belowThe Mirror has approached the Swedish Migration Agency for comment.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Brexit