COVID-19 Response: Cash assistance update
UNHCR provides cash assistance so that forcibly displaced persons can preserve their dignity and meet their basic needs. Cash assistance is only reserved for the most vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees.
Cash is no longer given as a solution for specific problems or requests. Instead, an impartial UNHCR committee conducts a total assessment of each family* and individual’s situation, considering all material provided for the application.
It is therefore the responsibility of each individual or family to provide adequate and accurate information to support each case. It is your responsibility to let UNHCR know of any changes to your family composition.
*For the purpose of this application, a family consists of parent/s, their children who are minors, and any adult dependents. Exceptions to this definition may apply.
***CASH ASSISTANCE UPDATE ON 26 March 2020***
Cash Assistance Update:
Please note that the procedure for applying for cash assistance has been affected by office closures due to COVID-19. New information will be issued via e-mail, and appear on this website, once it is available.
Also, please be aware that inaccurate information may be circulating about cash assistance. Each application for cash assistance is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and without discrimination on the basis of nationality, religion, time period in Trinidad and Tobago, race or ethnicity.
If you have already made a request for assistance, please note that you will receive another communication from UNHCR within two weeks informing you of the status of your request (approved/not approved).
Yours respectfully,
UNHCR Trinidad and Tobago
Eligibility for Assistance
Vulnerability
Consideration is given on a case-by-case basis. Decisions will not be based on nationality, religion, length of time in Trinidad and Tobago, race or ethnicity.
Categories of people considered highly vulnerable include—depending on their circumstances— those with conditions that significantly impact their ability to perform daily functions, as well as unaccompanied minors. Other cases may also qualify for cash assistance, depending on their conditions.
Emergency
Emergencies are defined as the sudden onset of high risk or harm. If faced with an emergency and are in need, as an asylum-seeker or refugee, you are eligible to apply for assistance—even if you recently applied and were not successful.
Ineligibility for Assistance
Persons generally ineligible for cash assistance include:
- Persons who are not registered with UNHCR
- Persons married to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago
- Persons who benefit from other sources of income and/or funds
- Persons who submit misleading information or deliberately misrepresent their situation in order to benefit from financial assistance
Note that exceptions to the above may exist.
Method and Value of Payment
Generally, if you are granted assistance, you will receive a one-time payment in the form of a Republic Bank Card. This payment will be given according to family size. Additionally, depending on other circumstances, exceptions to frequency and value of assistance may apply.
Six-Month Rule
You can only reapply for assistance six months after you collect your payment, if your application was successful—or six months after you receive your notification, if it was unsuccessful.
Exceptions to this rule exist in the cases of emergency, in which you are able apply for cash assistance at any point in time—even within this six-month period.