Thai student Thananya Chaiyasonk has been deported from Sweden after authorities ruled she no longer qualifies for residence as a dependent child. Photo: Nellie Andersson
Her plans were to study, work and build a life in Sweden. Instead, she has now been sent back to Thailand.
Twenty-year-old Thananya Chaiyasonk has been deported from Sweden after the Swedish Migration Agency rejected her application for a residence and work permit, Swedish media Norran reports.
Thananya moved to the northern Swedish city of Skellefteå in 2023 together with her mother from Thailand. Since arriving, she has studied Swedish at secondary school and taken evening shifts at a restaurant where her mother also works.
Must leave Sweden after turning adult
She previously held a temporary residence permit as a dependent child. However, Swedish authorities ruled that she no longer qualifies under that category because she is now an adult.
Her mother’s residence permit in Sweden remains valid until September, but Thananya has been ordered to leave the country and return to Thailand. If she wishes to return, she must apply for a residence permit for studies or work from outside Sweden.
Thananya Chaiyasonk moved to Sweden with her mother in 2023. Photo: Nellie Andersson
Friends have helped the family file an appeal against the decision, but Thananya has already travelled back to Thailand where she will stay with relatives while waiting for the outcome.
Before leaving, she said she still hopes to return to Sweden one day to continue her studies and pursue her dream of becoming a flight attendant.