legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

Provided by refugee assisting NGOs
The GCR and the SWF run a programme under which financial assistance is provided without
distinction to vulnerable asylum seekers, convention refugees and persons with residence
permits for humanitarian reasons.
The persons deemed vulnerable are single parents, old people without family support, persons
with chronic physical or mental illness, large families with four or more school-aged children,
unaccompanied minors, torture victims who are unable to work, as well as women at risk.
The monthly subsistence allowance granted under this programme is as follows:
Single person GDR 52,000 EUR 154.6
Any subsequent family member Additional GDR 10,400 EUR 30.9
In addition to this subsistence allowance, the GCR and SWF’s programme also includes:
– a food allowance, granted in co-operation with local supermarkets. The amount paid is GDR
20,000 [EUR 59.4] per month;
– an emergency assistance can be granted in special cases, for example when a sudden illness
prevents the person to work. Its amount lies between GDR 150,000 [EUR 446.1] for a single
person to up to GDR 200.000 [EUR 594.8] for a family per year;
– assistance may also be granted to buy medication, which is not available in the state hospitals
or cannot obtained from humanitarian health organisations, such as Médecins du Monde and
Médecins sans Frontières. It may also be granted in order to pass medical examinations not
available or not offered free of charge in Greek hospitals.
Work permit
According to the Presidential Decree No. 189/1998, asylum seekers can be granted a temporary
work permit which is valid while their application is under determination procedure. Normally,
such a permit is valid for all types of profession and employment.
In practice, however, it is very difficult for asylum seekers to find employment which has legal
status and which offers access to social security insurance. In many cases, the permit is
requested in order that they can work as self-employed street sellers.
Language tuition
Asylum seekers may attend Greek or English language courses provided by the University of
Athens, the Greek Council for Refugees, the International Social Service, the Social Work
Foundation, the International Organization for Migration (OIM) and the Greek Red Cross.
These courses are offered free of charge, although some fees may be required for special
courses.
School attendance
All children have access to all levels of education irrespective of their status in Greece. Most
children of asylum seekers of primary education age do attend school. Due to the language
barrier and the lack of financial support, those of secondary education age often prefer to seek
work.
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Greece