A rule change is forcing some refugee claimants to stay on welfare when they want to work.

Thanks to new rules put in place this year, someone who has applied for refugee status and has a work permit in Quebec, can no longer put their children in subsidized daycare while they get a job.

Vice president of the Quebec Association of CPEs Gina Gasparrini says claimants are now being forced not to work.

"They're put in a really desparate situation because they want to work, they want to be able to support their families and they can't, they're put in a situation where they're being forced to stay on welfare", said Gaparrini.

Gasparrini says the government's decision makes no sense.

"The government would save money to pay a daycare spot than to support her whole family on welfare, so I'm not underastanding the logic." added Gasparrini.