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In accordance with the Refugee Law, the Asylum Service must ensure that all asylum seekers are given access to information regarding the asylum procedure, their rights to access material reception conditions, and organisations/services offering legal and social assistance to asylum seekers as well as their legal obligations so as they can maintain their legal status. This information should be provided in the form of a booklet/leaflet in a language the applicant can understand.
In practice, the information available and provided to asylum seekers is that described in the section Information for Asylum Seekers and Access to NGOs and UNHCR of this report.
Three EUAA Info Providers are currently stationed at the Pournara First Reception Centre, providing group sessions in the presence of interpreters. The group sessions include information on the registration process in the Reception Centre, the asylum procedure and reception conditions. EUAA staff provide two leaflets developed by the asylum service: one explains the Dublin procedure and one covers the overall asylum procedure. The information provision sessions are offered to adults usually in groups of 20 persons. Responsibility for the UASC is considered to be on the SWS who act as Guardians. An information kiosk was recently set up which provides information to residents by providing appointments to anyone requiring it.
Residents of Kofinou Reception Centre are provided information regarding the Centre’s operation, their rights/obligations, orally, in groups or individually by the information Provision Expert stationed by EUAA.
Regarding Limnes, and according to the EUAA, an information leaflet on the daily operations of the Limnes accommodation centre was made available.[1]
There is no leaflet/information booklet available at the District Welfare offices and District Labour Offices concerning the access of asylum seekers to material assistance and employment. Information concerning employment can be found on the site of the Labour Department.[2]
[1] EUAA, Asylum Report 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/40F9GDr.
[2] Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, Employment of Asylum Seekers, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y8nw5dhs.