People whose income has been affected by COVID-19 can start applying for the first round of government's unemployment assistance from the 9th to the 11th of August.
People living in Viti Levu who are over the age of 18 can apply by dialing *161# and provide the necessary information.
This includes their full name, birth registration number, date of birth, TIN number, FNPF number( if any), address and a declaration to confirm if they have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
To receive the first round payment of $360, people must have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 7th August 2021.
The first payment of $360 will be made on 23rd August to cater for the months of August, September and October 2021 while second payment of $360 will be paid out in November to cater for the next three months. The Ministry of Economy says people whose employment income has not been affected by the pandemic as well as those who receive other forms of government assistance do not qualify for this assistance.
The Ministry says it is important that people gather all of the required information before applying as incomplete submissions or submissions containing incorrect information will not be considered.
They say only one registered sim card is permitted per person and there are stiff penalties for individuals attempting to double-dip on government unemployment assistance.
They also say that formal sector employees who qualified for FNPF withdrawals under the previous pandemic-related unemployment benefits will remain eligible for the $220 fortnightly assistance.
This also includes affected formal sector employees outside Viti Levu.
Employees who do not have a sufficient FNPF general account balance as well as those who do not prefer to access their general account can apply for the $120 per month benefit from government.
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