Petition · past parliament

The government should rethink its policies towards international students.

Closed 26 signatures

What the petition asks

A recent study* has shown that International Students make a net contribution of £2.3bn a year to the UK economy in London alone, as well as enhancing the UK's soft power globally.

However, the IPPR** claim current policy causes "unnecessary harm" to the UK's international education sector.
The IPPR*** make the following recommendations:
1. Students should be excluded from the drive to reduce net migration to tens of thousands.
2. The UK should set out a 10-year plan for expanding its international education sector.
3. The government should extend post-study work opportunities for international students.
4. Data collection methods should be improved to enable more robust assessment of migration patterns of international students.

* goo.gl/cT9o57
** goo.gl/R7Y8q3
*** goo.gl/7Nk9Vk

Timeline

13 Sep 2016 Petition opened for signatures
13 Mar 2017 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 26
Status Closed
Opened 13 Sep 2016
Closed 13 Mar 2017

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.