Britain could use foreign students to plug labour gaps

Cap on working hours for overseas students could be raised or abolished

International students pay higher tuition fees than their British classmates. PA

Britain could allow foreign students to work longer hours in part-time jobs to fill labour shortages, according to leaked proposals.

Visa rules currently limit overseas students to 20 working hours a week during term time. But the cap could rise to 30 or be scrapped altogether, The Times reported.

Government sources told the paper it was "part of a swathe of ideas being considered" to "remove barriers and encourage students to work", but that the proposal was at an early stage.

Businesses have struggled to fill vacancies since the Covid-19 pandemic, a problem noticeable across Europe. Brexit has been blamed for exacerbating the issue in Britain.

Britain has about 600,000 foreign students, many of them from China and India, but encouraging them to work could run counter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman's desire to reduce their numbers.

Academics were dismayed by proposals leaked last autumn to cut the number of foreigners studying for "low-quality" degrees and bringing families with them.

It came as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's promise to bring down net migration from a record level of 504,000 per year.

Foreign students pay higher tuition fees than their British classmates and are therefore regarded as financially indispensable by universities.

Some universities recommend that students should work no more than 15 hours per week regardless of their background.