Refugee Council | Campaign with us

Tell Damian Green to let asylum seekers live in dignity

Many asylum seekers whose claims have been refused but who are unable to return to their countries, are forced to rely on the Azure payment card. A new report, Your inflexible friend: the cost of living without cash brings to light a multitude of problems with the card.

Life without cash means hunger and deprivation for asylum seekers.

The card is topped up weekly with just £35 for a single person and can only be used in a limited number of supermarkets. It cannot be exchanged for cash making travel impossible, and, for single adults, only £5 can be carried over to the next week. Often the card doesn’t work at all, leaving asylum seekers unable to buy food for themselves and their children.

Act now: Tell the government to replace the payment card with cash support and let asylum seekers live in dignity

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Dear Minister

The failings of the new Azure card are forcing asylum seekers into hunger and deprivation. I am writing to urge you to replace the card with a cash support system.

A new report, Your inflexible friend: the cost of living without cash, published by the Refugee Council, North of England Refugee Service, Scottish Refugee Council and Welsh Refugee Council, brings to light a multitude of problems caused by having to use the card. I am extremely concerned by some of the findings in the report which include:

- 40% of respondents were unable to buy food that met their dietary, religious, or cultural requirements, and many experienced hunger and malnutrition as a consequence.

- 60% had experienced the card not working and 79% reported that shop staff had refused the card, despite using them in the specified supermarkets.

- Without cash, over half (56%) could not pay for travel to see their legal advisers, or attend essential health appointments (53%).

- 34% reported shop staff treating them badly in response to the card and 33% reported hostility from other shoppers.

It is unacceptable that asylum seekers are unable to buy the right kind of food, and that they have to face hostility in shops when they use these cards. I am concerned that the survival of vulnerable people, including babies and young children, relies on a payment system that restricts where, when, and what they can shop for, and often does not work at all.

As the government looks to improve the asylum process, I strongly urge you to use the opportunity to end this inhumane system now, and replace the payment card with cash support for asylum seekers.

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