refugeesinternational.org | 8 March 2022
NGOs Welcome the Resumption of Cash Assistance for Asylum Seekers in Greece, Call for Gaps to be Urgently Filled
The months-long suspension of cash assistance for asylum-seekers since October 2021 has caused significant hardship across Greece. Today 14 NGOs and civil society organisations welcome the restoration of programme, whiles warning that many individuals still remain without assistance.
Since the end of December, asylum-seekers in Greece have been receiving ‘cash cards’ as part of an agreement between the Greek government and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). According to the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, cards have been distributed to all eligible asylum-seekers. In January, overdue payments for October and November were made, with the expectation that disbursements will resume functioning normally at the beginning of March. The new distribution system is based on information from the Greek Asylum Service (GAS) database, and all registered asylum-seekers are entitled to cash assistance until a final decision on their asylum application is delivered.