Rishi Sunak gears up for new Cabinet row over foreign students with plan to allow them to work more to boost the UK economy while Home Secretary wants to cut the number coming to Britain
- Ministers hope to student will fill vacancies in sectors like hospitality and retail
- Currently, UK’s 680,000 overseas students limited to 20 hours’ paid work a week
- But the government wants to raise this cap to 30 hours, or remove it entirely
Rishi Sunak is risking another Cabinet row over foreign students with plans to allow them to work longer hours to help the UK’s ailing economy.
The PM is considering plans to allow those who come to Britain’s universities form overseas to do more paid work around their studies, with more hours and a wider range of jobs on offer.
Ministers are hoping to use British and overseas students to deal with shortages in areas such as hospitality and retail.
Currently, Britain’s 680,000 overseas students are limited to 20 hours of paid work a week during term time to prevent student visas from being used as back routes to jobs in the country.
But the government wants to raise this cap to 30 hours, or remove it entirely, as Rishi Sunak is concerned a surge in job vacancies will block his pledge for economic growth.
But he is likely to run into opposition from Home Secretary Suella Braverman. She is keen to reduce the number of foreign students in the UK and increase curbs on their outside work.
This wee it was revealed she wants to reduce the time they can stay in the UK on a student visa after they complete their studies from two years to six months.
The PM (pictured at Chequers yesterday) is considering plans to allow those who come to Britain’s universities form overseas to do more paid work around their studies, with more hours and a wider range of jobs on offer.
But he is likely to run into opposition from Home Secretary Suella Braverman. She is keen to reduce the number of foreign students in the UK and increase curbs on their outside work.
There are nine million economically inactive people with 1.3 million empty posts and students are seen as a way of filling vacancies in hospitality and retail which are particularly struggling with recruitment.
International students made up 476,000 of the 1.1 million migrants who arrived in the year to last June.
Government sources told The Times ministers were looking at ‘what more we can do to remove barriers and encourage students to work’.
Some universities describe the plans as ‘positive news’ for overseas students struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and chancellors hoping to boost the numbers of foreign students.
However, other academics warned The Times, ‘too many working hours isn’t good for study’ and some universities are likely to oppose it for that reason.
The recruitment drive among foreign students was ‘part of a swathe of ideas being considered,’ but the initiative risks contradicting Suella Braverman’s calls to reduce the number of foreign students.
The home secretary is likely to be wary of measures that will make visas more attractive to those wanting to come to Britain to work.
Ms Braverman has proposed to reduce the number of foreign students to meet Sunak’s pledge of cutting overall immigration after net migration reached an all-time high of 504,000 last year.
Braverman plans to reduce the time foreign students can stay in the UK after finishing their course from two years to six months.
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