Anastasiia Bigun is about to graduate and wants to continue her studies to become a doctor. Now, the Swedish Migration Agency has decided that she should be deported to Ukraine, where she has no family and where the war has turned everyday life into a nightmare.
Anastasiia Bigun has worked hard to build a new life in Sweden. Since her family moved there in 2019, she has become fluent in Swedish, found friendship, and achieved academic success. Soon to graduate from Strömbacka’s natural sciences program, she dreams of a career as a specialist doctor. Her parents and two younger siblings have all been granted permanent residency.
Yet, in an incredibly cruel twist of fate, Anastasiia, whose family have all been allowed to stay in Sweden, is being deported to war-torn Ukraine, a country where she has no support network.
– I was shocked. I still can’t believe it. They don’t think my reasons for staying are good enough. At the same time, everyone else in my family received letters informing them they had been granted permanent residency. I’m the only one who isn’t allowed to stay. How can they make such a decision? Everyone else gets residency, but I’m being sent back?
In five years, Anastasiia has learned fluent Swedish and is now studying at Strömbacka School's natural sciences program.
Anastasiia's family had been waiting for more than two years for Migrationsverket to process her application for an extended residence permit, with no word from the agency.
However, as soon as she reached her 18th birthday in September, she was suddenly notified of her impending deportation. The agency's reasoning is that Anastasiia's family life in Sweden is not protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, and her private life in Sweden does not constitute sufficient grounds for her to remain. Her application was therefore rejected, and she was issued a deportation order - despite the fact that she has no relatives or friends remaining in Ukraine.
– I have no family there or anyone waiting for me. I don’t have any friends left. I was only 13 when I left Ukraine. I have no life there. My family is here. There is a war in Ukraine. How can it possibly be reasonable to send me alone to a country where I have no one waiting for me?
Learned Swedish
Let's rewind. Anastasiia and her family are from Vinnytsia, 250 kilometers southwest of Kyiv. In 2018, her father, Iiuri, sought a better future. A skilled welder, he worked intermittently in Poland and Sweden.
A friend eventually led him to Piteå, where a neighbor suggested he apply at Box Modul in Öjebyn. Hired and with steady work secured, his family—Anastasiia, her mother, and two siblings—joined him in Sweden at the end of 2019.
Thirteen years old upon arrival, Anastasiia faced a difficult transition, learning Swedish and adapting to a new culture.
– We went through the language introduction program for two months, and then I started at Sjulnässkolan. It was hard, definitely. I didn’t know the language, and it was difficult to keep up in school and make friends. I felt really embarrassed about not being able to speak Swedish. That I had an accent and couldn’t find the right words quickly. It made me withdraw. But I got past that, and I’ve made a lot of friends, says Anastasiia.
Anastasiia's education is clearly important to her, and she has repeatedly voiced her worries about being unable to complete her university studies.
The family is now well integrated into Swedish society. Anastasiia and her siblings speak Swedish flawlessly. Their mother, Alina, while fluent, feels a little self-conscious about her Ukrainian accent.
Iiuri has a secure position at Box Modul, and Alina works as a personal assistant. Anastasiia’s younger sister, Kristina, is a talented musician, and her brother, Anatolii, is a national taekwondo gold medalist.
Anastasiia herself is passionate about dance and deeply committed to her studies. Her worries about Migrationsverket's decision revolve around the potential disruption to her education.
– I like studying. I like reading and learning new things. Now, I don’t know what to do. What will happen to my future? Will I even be allowed to graduate?
Anastasiia Bigun
Bombed by Russia
For three years, Ukraine has been ravaged by a full-scale war. Along the eastern front, Russian forces have relentlessly pulverised city after city with waves of soldiers, artillery barrages, and glide bombs, grinding down Ukrainian resistance.
Though other parts of Ukraine are comparatively quiet, western cities are regularly subjected to Russian air and missile strikes, carried out by strategic bombers and launch platforms using missiles, drones, and cruise missiles.
24 people were killed and more than 90 injured when Russian missiles hit a square in Anastasiia's hometown of Vinnytsia in July 2022. (Archive image)
Anastasiia’s hometown, Vinnytsia, became a symbol of the war's brutality when a Russian missile attack struck a city square in July 2022, killing over 20 people, including several children, among them four-year-old Liza Dmitrieva. Anastasiia fears being deported to a country constantly under attack.
– It feels very scary. Even though Vinnytsia isn’t on the front lines, attacks happen in all Ukrainian cities. The Russians launch missiles at our cities every single day. Nowhere is safe.
Alina Markelova
At their home in Stockbäcken, Piteå-Tidningen spoke with Anastasiia’s parents, Iiuri and Alina, and found a family consumed by grief.
– It feels absolutely devastating. We believed Sweden would offer a better future for our family. That’s why we chose to relocate here—for less corruption and a more secure life. After waiting two years for a decision, they suddenly denied our eldest daughter residency. Every other family member has been granted a permit. Why? Why should she be forced to leave when the rest of us are allowed to remain? says Iiuri.
In the house in Stockbäcken, there are many things that testify to the family's integration in Sweden. Anastasiia's little brother is successful in taekwondo and has won several prizes, including a Swedish Championship gold medal.
The family has appealed the decision, which will now be reviewed in court. They hope Migrationsverket will reconsider. Alternatively, they are considering applying for residence permits under the mass displacement directive for Ukrainian refugees.
However, these permits are temporary and could jeopardise Anastasiia’s studies and her chances of permanent residency.
Tears welling up, Alina explained what they would do if the deportation order stands.
– Then I would have to go with her. I can’t send my daughter there alone. Our family would be torn apart. My other two children would be here, and we wouldn’t be able to see each other. It would be a nightmare.
Anastasiia Bigun.
The family now faces an uncertain future as they await the result of the appeal. Anastasiia says the situation is taking a heavy toll.
– I’m really sad; I’ve cried so much. It’s hard to talk about this.
Do you want to stay here?
– Yes. I want to stay. I’ll do everything I can to stay in Sweden. This is my home.
Anastasiia together with her father Iurii Bigun and mother Alina Markelova. "This is terrible. I never thought this could happen. We thought Sweden was a good country for families. That’s why we moved here," says Iurii.
"Complex rules"
Hanna Geurtsen, spokesperson for work permits at Migrationsverket responded to the criticism of the decision, citing the complexity of the rules.
– We understand this decision may seem unreasonable, especially given that it involves a young person who has lived with her family in Sweden for a considerable period. But the rules regarding residence permits in Sweden are complex, and we apply them based on available guidance and practices.
Geurtsen argued that while most 18-year-olds rely on their parents, this isn't enough for residency.
– To live with your family in Sweden based on your relationship with your parents, the law requires a "special dependency relationship." While we acknowledge that an 18-year-old in high school depends on their parents, that dependency alone is insufficient.
So, you’re sending an 18-year-old girl alone to a war zone where she has no family?
– We disagree with the characterisation of a full-scale war, and we don’t have a general policy against deporting people to Ukraine.
Excuse me, but you don’t agree there’s a full-scale war in Ukraine?
Not under the definition of the Aliens Act. However, the decision is not yet final, and we haven't yet assessed her eligibility for protection under the mass displacement directive.
Hanna Geurtsen, spokesperson for Migrationsverket