Dementia patient's deportation delayed

A man with dementia will be able to remain in Sweden while a legal bid to delay his deportation is considered.

The Swedish authorities said they wanted George Mason, originally from Hinckley in Leicestershire, to leave the country by midnight on 20 August, after his application for permanent residency was rejected.

Mason's daughter, Michelle Torossian, said the family had been told an injunction to halt his deportation would be decided by Swedish authorities in a timeframe of two weeks to six months.

Torossian said she was told by the British Embassy in Stockholm that the original deportation decision would not be enforced by the authorities while the injunction order was considered.

The BBC has contacted the Swedish Migration Agency, which said it was unable to comment on individual cases.

Torossian said the outcome was "up in the air" and called the situation "frustrating".

"We're in a much safer position than we were last week, but we're not at the finish line yet," Mason's family said in a statement.

Torossian added: "They can at any point in the next six months say he has got to go."

Mason, 74, who has vascular dementia and vascular parkinsonism, has lived in Sweden for more than 20 years and is currently in a specialist care facility in the country.

Torossian said more current medical history had been submitted to the authorities as part of the legal challenge.

Doctors had advised the Swedish authorities that the process of moving Mason to the UK would pose a "danger to his life".

The family intend to eventually take Mason's case to the European Court of Human Rights to try to challenge the deportation order.

A spokesperson for the Swedish Migrations Agency said previously: "We can confirm receipt of a case of an impediments to enforcement which the agency now will process."

When the UK left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020, British citizens stopped being EU citizens, which meant they could no longer stay in Sweden with right of residence status.

During the transitional period, British citizens could apply for residence status under a withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU - which ended on 31 December 2021.

Torossian explained that due to Mason's health conditions, a "god man" - a legally appointed trustee - was given power of attorney to look after her dad's affairs.

Documents from the Swedish Migration Agency, seen by the BBC, state an application for permanent residency for Mason was made on 21 December 2021.

However, it was refused on the grounds documents showing he met the grounds for residency had not been submitted.

A further application on the grounds of his connection to his son, Carl Mason, who has Swedish residency, was also rejected.

Further appeals to the Migration Court of Appeal in June and July this year were again rejected.

A medical assessment said a move from his care environment was "not medically justifiable" and would pose "significant risks" to his health.

However, court documents said his condition was not "life-threatening" and added he would be able to access care in the UK.

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