The process of moving thousands of refugees out of state facilities and subsidised accommodation across the country is to begin on Monday, though authorities have not determined which facilities will be affected first nor how long the process will take.
The Migration Ministry confirmed last Friday that a total of 11,237 refugees will be moved out of state facilities and hotels.
It remained unclear, however, how many of the total are refugees who secured asylum and how many had their applications rejected and therefore, face deportation.
Those who have been granted asylum will be able to join job training programs and claim social benefits, the Ministry has said, though there is no word on whether the cash assistance provided to them will continue once they leave the facilities.
The Ministry has pledged that vulnerable migrants such as the elderly and unaccompanied minors will get privileged treatment.
This move comes after a new law, passed in November, reduced the period refugees could be sheltered from six months to just one. This period ended on Monday, June 1.
Athens says the move is necessary to alleviate pressure on the more than 32,500 refugees living in squalid camps on the Greek islands.
“It is normal that those who have been in Greece for longer can leave their place,” said Manos Logothetis, Secretary of the Greek Asylum Service. “There must be a limit and the refugees integrate and find a job.”
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