Do refugees really get more benefits than pensioners?

Emails and messages on social media websites and forums claim that the benefits afforded to illegal immigrants or refugees living in a certain country greatly outweigh benefits given to that country’s pensioners. The messages have spread in various countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and Canada.

The messages assert that pensioners, who have “worked and lived in the country all of their lives“, are being unfairly treated by their respective government concerning the benefits afforded to them when compared to both illegal immigrants and refugees.

In all of the countries that have seen this circulate, it has been false, and a rather typical form of propaganda that is often spread by extreme right-wing organisations.

These hoaxes seem to exploit a popular myth that countries like Australia, the UK and the United States have a benefit system for their own citizens and another more lucrative system for people who migrate to the country. While many countries do have systems in place to initially assist refugees assimilate into a country such as welcome packs and initial accommodation (countries that are accepting refugees from the Syrian crisis for example) these countries do not provide a permanent or long-standing ‘special’ benefits tariff.

The people behind these hoaxes and those that spread them also apparently fail to understand the important distinction between an illegal immigrant and a refugee – two types of migrants that these messages quote as getting more benefits than pensioners. Illegal immigrants are migrants in a country illegally – hence the name. Because they are in the country illegally, they will either be in a detention center pending a decision on their future (which for most will mean being sent back to their country of origin) or the government will be unaware of their presence in the country. Either way, they are afforded no benefits, despite the claims in these types of hoaxes.

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The hoax in different countries.

The United Kingdom

Examples in the United Kingdom vary, but popular examples claim that pensioners get £6000 a year total whilst refugees and illegal immigrants get £29,900. Examples include –

OH BRITAIN ~ ABOUT RIGHT!! Were “broke” & cant help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless etc.?????????
Are you aware of the following? The British Government provides the following financial assistance: –
NOW YOU KNOW WHY PENSIONERS ARE UP IN ARMS
BENEFIT
BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN
Weekly allowance
£100
£250
Weekly Spouse allowance
£25
£225
Additional weekly hardship allowance
£0;00
£100
TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT
£6,000
£29,900
If I was a refugee, why would I look for work? Please forward to all your contacts so that we can lobby for an increase in the old-age pension. After all, the average pensioner has paid taxes and contributed to the growth of this country for the last 40 to 60 years.

if you cross the British border illegally you get a job, a driver’s license, pension
card, welfare, credit cards, subsidised rent or a loan to buy a house, free education and free
healthcare.”

IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS
HARD LABOR.
IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED
INDEFINITELY.
IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.
IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.
IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD
FROM AGAIN.
IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED
A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.
IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO
POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.
IF YOU CROSS THE BRITISH BOARDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET A JOB, A DRIVERS
LICENSE, PENSION CARD, WELFARE, CREDIT CARDS, SUBSIDISED RENT OR A
LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE, FREE EDUCATION AND FREE HEALTH CARE.

As previously mentioned, the United Kingdom does not give illegal immigrants any benefits, since they are in the country illegally. Regarding the claim about refugees, the UK Parliament has previously rebuked this claim in a downloadable PDF claiming that the hoax does not reflect what benefits refugees get, and that the hoax appears to have been translated (poorly) from variants of the hoax targeting different nations.

In part, the UK Parliament have said –

“Refugees” – i.e. asylum seekers whose application for asylum has been successful – are able to claim social security benefits and tax credits on the same basis as UK nationals, but may find it difficult to gain entitlement to contributory benefits since these depend upon the person having a sufficient contribution record.

Australia

Perhaps most popularly this hoax has been spread across Australia. Often it claims that pensioners in Australia receive $16,068 a year whilst illegal immigrants and refugees get $56,680. Examples below –

Are you aware of the following?
The Australian Federal Government provides the following financial assistance:-
Weekly allowance
$253.00
$472.50
Weekly Spouse allowance
$56.00
$472.50
Additional weekly hardship allowance
$0.00
$145.00
TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT
$16,068.00
$56,680.00
If I were a refugee, why would I look for work? Please forward to all your contacts so that we can lobby for an increase in the aged pension, and to put the welfare of Australian pensioners first, and then the welfare of refugees. After all, the average pensioner has paid taxes and contributed to the growth of this country for the last 40 to 60 years………….Kevin Rudd The Dud — Pay Heed!!!!!!!!…The elections are this year. The people who put you in power can also remove you from power as easily. THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!. Time for a reality check is here now!!!

This is interesting:
It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 And each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00.
A single pensioner who, after contributing to the growth and development of Australia for 40 to 50 years, receives only a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
Let’s send this to all Australians so we can all be ticked off and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012.00 and the pensioners up to $2,470.00 and enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 years.
Please forward to every Australian to expose what our elected politicians are doing – to the over-taxed Australian.

The similarities between this and the UK version are apparent, including the lack of distinction between illegal immigrants and refugees. Again, Australia do not afford illegal immigrants any benefits. And again, for refugees, there is no separate benefits tariff. Refugees are migrants who have had their claim for asylum granted and are thus allowed the same benefits as Australian nationals.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Australia have specifically dismissed the hoax.

Canada

A near identical version to the above versions persistently spreads throughout Canada. It has been dismissed by the Canadian government. Example below.

Subject: Fw: THIS IS DISGRACEFUL!
Canada Pensions… Only in Canada * In Canada , instead of applying for Old Age Pension, you should rather apply for the Status of Refugee.
* It IS interesting to know that the federal Government of Canada allows :
A monthly pension of : $1,890.00 to a simple refugee
plus : 580.00 in social aid
==========
A grand total of : $2,470.00 monthly
X 12 months
========== $28,920.00 annual income
* By comparison, the Old Age Pension of a senior citizen who has contributed to the development of Our Beautiful Big Country during 40 or 50 years, CANNOT receive more than :
Amount/month $1,012.00 in Old Age Pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement
X 12 months
============
$12,144.00 annual income
A difference of : $16,776.00 per year
* Perhaps our senior citizens should ask for the Status of Refugees instead of applying for Old Age Pension.
* Let us send this message to as many Canadians as possible, and maybe the allowance of refugee could then be reduced to $1,012.00, and that of our Canadian pensioners raised to $2,470.00 per month. (who actually deserve it) the money that they have been paying in income taxes for 40 or 50 years,
AN INCREDIBLE NONSENSE !!!
OUR CANADIAN SENIORS CITIZENS, DESERVE BETTER
Please circulate this text to see the reaction of your contacts !

The United States

The hoax has also appeared in the United States like the example below and again the similarities are abundant. However the US also does not employ a different rate of benefits for refugees. Most versions that have spread in the USA are identical to their Canadian counterparts just with the name of the country changed.

Pensioners should apply as refugees!
It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00
This compares very well to a single pensioner who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
Lets send this to all Americans, so we can all be ticked off and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012.00 and the pensioners to $2,470.00 and enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 years.
Please forward to every American to expose what our elected politicians have been doing over the past 11 years — to the over-taxed American.
SEND THIS TO EVERY AMERICAN TAXPAYER YOU KNOW
American Government Seniors Policy