Petition · past parliament
Amend working hours and self-employment rules for international students
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
We want the Government to abolish the weekly 20-hour working cap and allow international students to work as many hours as home students and pursue self-employment.
The average student's living costs are £1,078 a month. The 20-hour cap leaves international students struggling to meet basic costs.
The average student's living costs are £1,078 a month. The 20-hour cap leaves international students struggling to meet basic costs.
Students are at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis, and international students are particularly affected. Unlike home students, they cannot access student finance, so many are forced to work to fund their studies. But they are limited to 20 hours of work and week and cannot be self-employed.
The cap on work limits not just the right to work but also curtails the economic contributions of international students, which was £25.8 billion to the UK economy in 2019, according to HEPI.
The cap on work limits not just the right to work but also curtails the economic contributions of international students, which was £25.8 billion to the UK economy in 2019, according to HEPI.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 23 Nov 2023 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 4 Dec 2023 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
4 Dec 2023
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.