We, the undersigned, ask that the government increases in the number of working hours available to international students per week, to reverse the dire impact these limits have on the mental heath and experience of education these students currently face.
We echo the concerns raised by the National Union of Students Survey; over a third of respondents claim the cost-of-living crisis is having a major impact on the people who supports them financially. 90% of students indicate the current cost of living crisis is having an impact on their mental health, including a quarter who claim it’s a major impact. Over half of HE students have a loan while a further 15% have a bursary or a grant. A majority of students are left with less than £50 only each month. This makes us aware of how hard is for international students to look after themselves financially while studying in UK. (NUS- Cost of Living Crisis)
Many international students’ study in the UK with the support of loans and private funds, and never expected to experience this high cost of living here. Many are vulnerable and more liable to be victims of exploitation and predator to manage their debts and living costs. In a recent survey of Imperial College London,56% of student’s are international students. All have additional travel and living costs. 80% of Imperial Ph.D. students said that it was more expensive than expected to live in London. This situation results in worry for students with them being at risk or dropping out from not being able to pay fees or sacrificing other essentials to make payments.
We note that the recent Survey from Save The Students shows the average student living cost in the UK in 2022 is around £950 a month. International students are only permitted to work for 20 hours a week, and if they are on a national wage of £9.50 that will bring them up to £750 per month as a maximum, assuming they can find employers willing to take them on limited hours. This indicates that international students can't even manage to cover their living expenses right now, resulting in a harming their mental health with serious worries and surviving relying on family support. (SAVETHESTUDENT).
The implementation of this policy may be challenging, but considering the recent UK labour shortage crises, this is an economic necessity too. The Recent data from financial times (Where are the UK’s 1m plus job vacancies concentrated?), shows that there are more than 1 million job vacancies in the UK job market. Many companies are now struggling to find staff, and vacancies are still increasing. Given the ongoing concerns about a labour shortage, our objective could provide the economy with thousands more skilled workers on a part-time basis, whilst giving international students a reasonable income and more industry experience.
This, in our personal belief, is a crucial step to mitigate the effects of the current cost of living crisis, to justify fair and equitable treatment of working rights for international students (including EEA and non-EEA students), to reduce the risk of these students’ falling into debt or relying on unsustainable sources of income, and to increase greater equality between domestic and international students in learning and thriving in higher education settings.
We are therefore writing to request that you review the working hour limits for students on a student visa, and either increase the hours or abolish the legal restrictions. We ask that you organise a meeting with the students’ unions coordinating this campaign to discuss moving forward.