After nearly two decades in Sweden, a senior citizen with Alzheimer’s will be separated from her family and deported to the United Kingdom. Kathleen Poole, 74, was ordered to depart Sweden after her application to remain in the country post-Brexit was denied, her family informed the BBC.
Mrs. Poole, who moved to Sweden nearly two decades ago from Macclesfield, Cheshire, to be closer to her family, is presently bedridden and receives round-the-clock care in a facility where she has resided for the past decade.
The grandmother of four was informed in September 2022 that she would be deported, despite having submitted her application for Swedish residence status before the EU-UK withdrawal agreement’s December 2021 deadline.
Her family reported that her application was denied because she lacked a legitimate British passport, which they claimed she did not need because she was unable to travel due to her poor health, and despite physicians’ sick notes.
Angelica, the daughter-in-law, told the BBC, “I sent six physicians’ notes. I sent letters explaining the situation, but it was insufficient.
“Finally, they said’sorry’ and demanded that I depart the country.
“They demanded that we book her a flight to the United Kingdom, which we refused. Consequently, the British embassy must now search for housing, and the police are on their heels.
“I find it deplorable that an ill person can be deported and separated from her family. She is among the kindest individuals you will ever meet.”
The family now hopes that a medical note from a doctor who personally visited Mrs. Poole at her nursing home will convince the Swedish Migration Agency to reopen the case. In the interim, however, Angelica reported that her children continue to be terrified that their grandmother may be sent away.