Asylum seeker support changes 'cruel'
A group which helps asylum seekers has sent a petition to the immigration minister after a change in the rules on food vouchers.
Since July 1, asylum seekers with an Azure card have been forbidden from buying supermarket gift cards.
The cards – for people who are appealing a failed asylum claim or who have agreed to return to their country of origin but are unable to do so – replaced a voucher or supermarket gift card system in February.
Asylum seekers could swap the vouchers in exchange but can now only use the cards' £35 credit per week in supermarkets.
Bessie Hayes, from Leicester City of Sanctuary said the changes were cruel.
She said: "It's already become a huge problem.
"These cards can only be used in the supermarkets so if someone needs a few pounds for the bus or to have their hair cut they can't do that now.
"One woman had to walk from Beaumont Leys to the city centre with a broken ankle because she had no access to money for the bus.
"We've managed to pair up some volunteers with asylum seekers so they can go shopping together and use the card to pay for some of the other person's items in exchange for money."
The group collected a petition containing 142 signatures urging that the rules be changed, which has been sent to immigration minister Damian Green.
9 Comments
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by simondmont
Friday, December 23 2011, 12:12PM
“A minor comment.With their genuine concern (rightly or wrongly)for the seekers of asylum,certain agencies/charities use the cards themselves,for the charity/agency but let the seeker have the money to buy/use other shops/stores.”
by Elisabeth Burleigh, Leicester
Friday, July 23 2010, 10:09AM
“I have attended one of these shopping sessions. Many asylum seekers have come to the UK in fear of their lives - looking for safety and a refuge - looking for "asylum". Sometimes they have left horrific situations and sometimes they have had to leave their families behind. What sort of a country are we if we then make life really difficult, adding to their trauma? The current system doesn't support them very well - it needs changing.”
by Jacquie, Leicester, Leicester
Friday, July 23 2010, 10:07AM
“I am proud to have supported Bessie's initiative this week and will do so again. I couldn't survive without some cash and no one should have to! These are human beings - people like you and me who have sometimes tragic tales to tell.
They are not scroungers or malingerers and would work and pay their way if they were allowed. But we (yes we), because we have the power to vote - support the travesty that is the asylum seekers system, that makes survival so difficult. These are children, young adults, mothers, brothers, sisters who need our help and understanding. Yes, people can walk - but with a broken ankle! I am sure some want to 'go home' but can't as the government can't organise anything properly - let alone travel.
Asylum Seeker: If I go back home I will be killed! Government: Well yes, that may be so but we are sending you home anyway because you cannot prove it. If you are killed we will apologise to your family - if they are still alive!”
by Emily, Leicester
Thursday, July 22 2010, 6:33PM
“This azure card system seems crazy to me. If people are in the unfortunate position of having to have fled their country, been refused permission to stay in this one but are prevented from leaving it either, if they are going to be provided with some means of not starving why on earth can't they at least have cash so they can support local traders like the market stall holders, rather than having to visit a supermarket?”
by Dr P. Kuhiwczak, Leicester
Wednesday, July 21 2010, 6:19PM
“All those commenting above are right. The asylum process is costly to the taxpayer and the failed asylum seekers should go back home. But the process is costly because it is badly organized and much too complex. It takes years before a decision is made. Appeals are equally complicated and prolonged. So, it is not the fault of the asylum seekers that they are waiting for years for some decision. If the decision is negative, then the process of sending people back should be better organized and destitute individuals should not be kept in limbo. But as long as they are here they should be treated better than they are at the moment. This matters a lot because the asylum seekers come from the countries which Britain either occupied in the past, or is trying to teach now how to conduct their affair. Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan are prime examples. As for the ¿¿Fist Bus¿¿ company, it is wrong to say that it is not operating in the countries where the asylum seekers come from. It is a global operator in the same way Arriva and Stage Coach are. I recommend that readers go to Hong Kong and see how much better these companies are doing there than in Leicester, and how much less Hong Kong passengers are paying for travel.”