CALL TO ACTION: Stop Bank Discrimination Against Students!

Sign the Petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/640488

Issue at a Glance: Banks currently have unchecked authority to close accounts or deny services without providing a reason or an avenue for appeal. This discrimination disproportionately affects students, especially foreign students from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America, as well as British and EU students. Thousands of stories highlight banks refusing accounts without explanation, making it harder for affected individuals to engage in basic aspects of adult life in the UK.

Why Does it Matter?

• Harms Students: Discrimination affects students, hindering their ability to rent a flat, pay bills, or get a phone number.

• Impact on Foreign Residents: It creates enormous hurdles for foreign residents to establish a life in the UK.

• Lack of Accountability: Banks lack accountability to citizens, and are not required to even justify their actions or denial of services.

In Detail: At present, a bank can for any reason close anyone's account, or deny them an account entirely, without having to provide a reason or provide a route to appeal. 

This disproportionately harms students -- and in particular, foreign students -- from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America, though British and EU students aren't immune either. There are thousands of stories of banks refusing to open accounts for students, and they almost never provide a reason or a route to appeal.  While students and foreign residents of the UK (and most especially both, foreign students), bear the brunt of this unfair discrimination, even British citizens who have lived in the UK their entire lives can be denied a bank account, or have their account closed, for any reason or no reason at all.

Once an account is closed, it is then much harder for that person to open another account elsewhere, as banks will often share that they have closed the account of a person with other banks, but not disclose why, thereby creating a risk profile for that person.

Without a UK bank account, young people just starting out and foreign residents of the UK can find it hard to accomplish the most basic and important elements of entering adult life and living in the UK, like renting a flat, paying for council tax or other bills, or even getting a phone number.

With so many both students and foreign residents in the UK, making up such an important part of this country's economy, it's shocking to me that banks don't have any accountability to common citizens at all, for the service they are supposed to provide.

The Petition's Purpose: We're striving for change! We demand accountability from banks by ensuring they cannot arbitrarily deny services or close accounts without providing valid reasons and a route for appeal. We’ve created a Petition to Parliament, and if we reach 10,000 signatures, the Government is required to respond.

How You Can Help:

1. Sign the Petition: Click the link to add your voice.

2. Share Widely: Spread the word on social media, ensuring this issue reaches the wider community.

3. University Outreach: Share within universities to reach those directly impacted.