PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk

Petition to Increase International Student Working Hours to 24 Hours per Week

We urge the UK Government to increase the term-time working limit for international students from 20 to 24 hours per week to protect the sustainability of UK universities and maintain the UK’s competitiveness in the global higher education market.

Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk

Signatures

signatures

Government response threshold (10,000) · 9/10,000

Debate threshold (100,000) · 9/100,000

Background

Recent immigration policy changes, particularly the removal of the international student dependant visa, have reduced the UK’s attractiveness to prospective students. Declining enrolments have caused financial strain and redundancies across universities. A controlled increase in working hours would support students facing high living costs, ease labour shortages, stabilise institutions, and help the UK remain competitive with global education leaders.