Asylum seekers are still receiving cash on taxpayer-funded cards despite being granted refugee status.
Migrants arriving in Britain are handed a debit card, known as an Aspen card, by the Government which is typically loaded with £49.18 per person each week.
The money is intended to be used for essentials including food, clothing and toiletries.
Asylum seekers should stop receiving support once their asylum claim has been fully determined.
But in some cases, Aspen cards are not being cancelled when they should be.
In a Facebook group, one refugee wrote: "Hi everyone, I was granted refugee status in January 2025...
"I’m still getting money on my Aspen card. Just wondering do I need to inform the Home Office about this, or will the payments stop automatically?"
According to The Sun, another person wrote: "I know someone else this happened to. But he had payments for a whole year.
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Asylum seekers receive support from the Home Office including money and accommodation until their claims are determined
| PA“He did not touch the money as the Home Office could ask you to refund if you are not entitled to this.”
The Home Office said it is investigating cases where cards have not been cancelled as intended.
A statement read: "The Home Office rules state that – when an individual ceases to qualify for support – their subsistence payments will automatically end, and their card will be cancelled, after a short transitional period.
“As part of our investigation into the functioning of Aspen cards, we will look into any instances where cards have not been cancelled as intended, and take whatever action is necessary to correct any faults.”
Last week, it was revealed that some asylum seekers were using Aspen cards for gambling, prompting a probe by the Home Office.
A Freedom of Information request by PoliticsHome found more than 6,500 transactions had been attempted online and at sites such as casinos, slot machine arcades and national lottery retailers in the past year.
The payments online were blocked each time, while in other cases cash withdrawals were made in or near gambling venues, located using the terminal’s ID number.
The data showed a peak of 227 attempts to use the cards to gamble in a single week last November.
Alongside weekly payments, asylum seekers are assigned accommodation and given free healthcare on arrival to Britain
|PA
At the lowest point, there were 40 attempts to use the cards to gamble in a week last July.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “This Labour Government is allowing illegal migrants to gamble using taxpayers’ hard-earned cash. This madness has to end.”
Some asylum seekers have meanwhile been spotted shoplifting designer items from high-end shops in London.
The organised gangs hit stores such as Polo Ralph Lauren and John Lewis.
A private security worker said asylum seekers make up 70 per cent of people shoplifting in the West End.
"The police rarely attend and the maximum we can hold them for is four hours — after that we just have to let them go. We see the same faces again and again", the man told The Sun.