Refugees Earn More than Retirees-Fiction!

Refugees get more money from the government than people on Social Security- Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor:
A forward email that complains that refugees get $2470 a month, an amount much higher than what retired Americans earn who paid into the social security system most of their adult lives.

The Truth:
Several important things about this eRumor.

First, it originated in Canada and the figures that the writer of the email used are based on Canadian policies. Some versions of this eRumor have circulated as though it is referring to the United States by including references to SSI and Medicare, which are American programs.

Second, even the Canadian figures are not accurately represented.

According to the United Nations Association in Canada the writer of this email did not compare apples with apples.

A refugee (not an ordinary immigrant) seeking safety in Canada was, at the time the eRumor originated, eligible for a one-time payment of $1,890. In addition, the refugee could receive $580 per month as assistance until stable employment was achieved. The writer of the eRumor mistakenly added the one-time payment to the monthly figure and came up with a total monthly amount of $2,470 which would have been more than the $1,012 per month available to Canadian pensioners. Click for United Nations Canada paper in Adobe pdf format.

updated 4/24/09

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

This is an insult and a kick in the butt to all of us.

Get mad and pass it on - I don't know how, but maybe some good will come of this travesty. If the immigrant is over 65, they can apply for SSI and Medicaid and get more than a woman on Social Security, who worked from 1944 until 2004.

She is only getting $791 per month because she was born in 1924 and there's a 'catch 22.' It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890. Each can also obtain an additional $580 in social assistance, for a total of $2,470 a month.

This compares to a single pensioner, who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!

Consider sending this to all your American friends, so we can all be ticked off and maybe get the refugees cut back to $1,012 and the pensioners up to $2,470. Then we can enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 or 60 years.