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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Diane Taylor

Home Office bans asylum seekers from buying luxury goods and services

Home Office sign
The Home Office has drawn up an extensive list of banned items and activities in response to reports that some asylum seekers were using their weekly allowance to gamble. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/Getty Images

Are you an asylum seeker and are you considering buying an armoured car, a snowmobile or a timeshare using your Home Office pre-paid cash card? If so, think again, for these are just some of the luxuries on a list of banned items and activities drawn up by the government.

Quite how asylum seekers living in hotels who are banned from working but are provided with meals and receive £9.95 a week are expected to afford any luxuries is unclear. Similarly, those in self-catering accommodation who receive £49.18 a week may find it tricky to foot the bill for flowers (also on the list).

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