Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits to the economy of increasing the number of graduate entrepreneurs by amending legislation to (a) encourage and (b) allow international students to be self-employed.

The UK welcomes international students and recognises the valuable contribution they make to the UK economy. Students can switch into the Graduate or Start-up routes once they have completed their studies; self-employment is permitted under each of these routes.

The Graduate route, which launches on 1 July, enables students who successfully complete an eligible qualification to stay and work or look for work for two years (three for PhD students), including self-employment.

Those on the Graduate route who establish an innovative, viable and scalable business will be able to switch into the Innovator route subject to securing the required endorsement from a relevant endorsing body.

Students can also switch into the Start-up route. The Start-up route is reserved for early-stage, high-potential entrepreneurs starting an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK for the first time.

The restrictions on employment whilst studying on the Student route are designed to ensure their primary purpose for being in the UK is to study as indicated, rather than to work.