Elderly British man with dementia 'given 10 days to leave home in Sweden'

A 74-year-old British man with dementia, named Horace Mason, who has lived in Sweden for 25 years, has been given 10 days to leave the country after losing a post-Brexit migration court case. Horace Mason, also known as George, requires round-the-clock care due to his advanced vascular dementia, vascular parkinsonism, and other serious health issues.

He is immobile and unable to travel independently to the United Kingdom. The Swedish Migration Court ruled that the government's push to reduce immigration overrode the needs of the vulnerable elderly man, citing that deportation was proportionate in relation to article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Horace's son, Carl, expressed his distress over the decision, stating that he had to inform his father on Friday, causing him numerous questions and fears.

An application for a residence permit for Horace was made in December 2021 but was rejected in the autumn by the Swedish Migration Agency, as he had not submitted the required documents demonstrating his right of residence. The family has appealed the deportation decision through multiple legal avenues, but their appeals have been unsuccessful.

The Guardian reports that the UK government is aware of the case and is in contact with Swedish authorities. A British in Sweden grassroots campaign group, David Milstead, noted that Sweden's approach to the withdrawal agreement is unique in the EU and highly restrictive compared with other countries, causing lives to be ruined due to the lack of key protections in the treaty.