Work rights, government consulting, and preparation

• Many graduate programs ask for citizenship, permanent residency, or long-term work rights. For example, BCG's graduate roles ask for Australian or New Zealand citizenship or Australian permanent residency; Bain Australia asks for independent work rights of 3 years or more; PwC Australia says it cannot offer visa sponsorship for its early-career programs; Deloitte New Zealand accepts holders of a three-year post-study work visa.
• Visas to ask about, in general terms: Australia's Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) lets international students live and work after study; the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), which replaced the TSS visa on 7 December 2024, lets an employer sponsor a skilled worker; New Zealand's Post-Study Work Visa allows work after study for up to 3 years, depending on the qualification, and its eligibility widens from 16 November 2026.
• This is general information, not legal advice. Check the official Home Affairs and Immigration New Zealand pages, and ask each firm about work rights before you apply.

• In January 2023 it became public that a then PwC Australia partner had shared confidential government tax information (reported). A Senate committee inquiry into the management and integrity of consulting services, referred in March 2023, examined this matter among others and reported in 2024 (the inquiry page is official).
• In October 2023 the Australian Government released the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework, which says core government work will be done by public servants. In November 2024 it set a target of more than 527 million dollars of core work to bring in-house in 2024-25.
• What this means for candidates: the federal government aims to rely less on consultants for core work, although firms still serve government, for example from Canberra offices. Ask each firm how much public-sector work its office does.

Typical case themes (our general observation, except where a source is named)

• Mining and natural resources, especially from Perth.
• Energy, the energy transition, and agriculture and agritech, which are recurring topics in BCG's New Zealand work.
• Retail, consumer, and restaurants, banks, insurers, and superannuation funds (pension funds).
• Public sector and health, at state and federal level.

What to prepare

• Put January to March in your calendar: most graduate campaigns open then.
• Check your work rights against each firm's posting before you spend time on an application.
• Practice online case and numerical assessments before applying to BCG, and psychometric tests before applying to Bain.
• In your second-to-last year, look at scholarships and vacation programs, which often lead to graduate offers.
• Read one recent public report on Australia or New Zealand from each firm you target.

Facts checked against sources on 2026-09-28. Sources, official pages first. "Reported" means a secondary source, not the firm or government itself.

• BCG: Careers in Australia and New Zealand (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/australia-and-new-zealand
• BCG: Australia and New Zealand Associate recruitment (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/australia-new-zealand/associate-recruitment
• BCG: Scholarship and Early Intake Program (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/australia-and-new-zealand/scholarship
• BCG: International opportunities, application timing and languages by country (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/united-kingdom/international-opportunities
• BCG: Offices (official): https://www.bcg.com/offices/default
• BCG: New Zealand (official): https://www.bcg.com/new-zealand
• Bain: Australia graduate recruitment (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/recruiting/australia-graduate-recruitment/
• Bain: True North Scholarship, Australia (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/work-with-us/internships-programs/true-north-scholarship-for-women-australia/
• Bain: Offices (official): https://www.bain.com/offices/
• Kearney: Australia and New Zealand (official): https://www.kearney.com/about/locations/anz/about
• L.E.K.: Sydney office (official): https://www.lek.com/global-offices/sydney
• Oliver Wyman: Asia Pacific locations (official): https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/global-locations/asia-pacific.html
• Roland Berger: Australia (official): https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Locations/Australia/
• Strategy& Australia: Contact us (official): https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/au/en/contact-us.html
• EY-Parthenon Australia (official): https://www.ey.com/en_au/services/strategy/ey-parthenon-strategy-consulting-australia
• Deloitte Australia: Monitor Deloitte (official): https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/consulting/services/monitor-deloitte.html
• Deloitte Australia: Summer vacation program (official): https://deloitte.com/au/en/careers/students/summer-vacation-program-careers.html
• Deloitte New Zealand: Student FAQ (official): https://www.deloitte.com/nz/en/careers/students/frequently-asked-questions.html
• KPMG Australia: Vacation program (official): https://kpmg.com/au/en/careers/graduates/vacation-program.html
• PwC Australia: Vacation program (official): https://jobs-au.pwc.com/au/en/vacation-program
• EY Australia: 2026-27 Vacationer program (official): https://www.ey.com/en_au/careers/2026-27-vacationer-program-student-opportunities
• Nous Group (official): https://nousgroup.com/
• Nous Group: Contact us (offices) (official): https://nousgroup.com/contact-us
• Marsden Jacob Associates (official): https://www.marsdenjacob.com.au/
• Sapere: Contact us (official): https://srgexpert.com/contact-us/
• MartinJenkins: Our story (official): https://www.martinjenkins.co.nz/our-story
• Australian Department of Home Affairs: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) (official government source): https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/temporary-graduate-485
• Australian Department of Home Affairs: Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) (official government source): https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482
• Immigration New Zealand: Post-Study Work Visa (official government source): https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/post-study-work-visa/
• Immigration New Zealand: eligibility extended from 16 November 2026 (official government source): https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/news-centre/post-study-work-visa-eligibility-extended-from-16-november-2026/
• Parliament of Australia: Senate inquiry into consulting services (official government source): https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Finance_and_Public_Administration/Consultingservices
• Minister for the Public Service: APS Strategic Commissioning Framework (October 2023) (official government source): https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/gallagher/2023/release-aps-strategic-commissioning-framework
• Minister for the Public Service: core work brought in-house (November 2024) (official government source): https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/gallagher/2024/aps-set-bring-more-half-billion-dollars-core-work-house
• Reported: GradConnection, KPMG 2026-27 vacationer program, business, consulting and risk: https://au.gradconnection.com/employers/kpmg/jobs/kpmg-202627-kpmg-vacationer-program-business-consulting-risk/
• Reported: Consultancy.com.au, Port Jackson Partners joins EY-Parthenon (May 2020): https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/2054/port-jackson-partners-joins-eys-strategy-wing-ey-parthenon
• Reported: Wikipedia, PwC tax scandal (background): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PwC_tax_scandal