Recent changes, work permits, and preparation

• In April 2023, Chinese authorities questioned staff at Bain's Shanghai office; Bain confirmed this and said it was "cooperating as appropriate" (as reported by Al Jazeera, citing the Financial Times). In May 2023, Chinese state media reported an investigation of Capvision, a consulting and expert-network firm. A revised Counter-Espionage Law took effect on 1 July 2023 (Reuters).
• In October 2024, Reuters, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported that McKinsey was cutting about 500 jobs in China, about a third of its China workforce.
• In February 2026, Reuters reported that Beijing has restricted the work foreign consultants can do for state-owned enterprises, and that Chinese rivals had gained ground with lower prices and knowledge of local rules and business culture.
• What this means for candidates: hiring at international firms in Mainland China may be smaller than before, and local firms have gained ground. Check current openings and ask recruiters about team size and client mix.

• This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the official pages and ask the recruiter early.
• Mainland China: foreign employees need a Foreigner's Work Permit, graded in categories A (high-end talent), B (professionals), and C (others), usually applied for through the employer.
• Hong Kong: non-local students who graduate from a full-time, locally accredited degree can stay and work under the IANG arrangement; fresh graduates do not need a job offer to apply and receive 24 months. The Top Talent Pass Scheme is another route, including Category C for recent graduates of eligible universities, which has a yearly quota.
• Taiwan: foreign professionals usually need a work permit, usually applied for through the employer. The Employment Gold Card combines an open work permit, residence permit, and visa. Since 1 January 2026, international graduates of Taiwanese universities can work for up to two years without a work permit.

Typical case themes

• Consumer markets and retail, including how shoppers in different city tiers behave.
• Electric vehicles and cars; McKinsey, for example, posts Business Analyst roles focused on automotive work in China.
• Manufacturing, electronics, and supply chains, especially in Taiwan.
• Financial services and cross-border business in Hong Kong.

What to prepare

• Practice full cases in Mandarin, including the math and the synthesis, as well as in English.
• For Hong Kong, show Cantonese on your CV if you speak it.
• Note each firm's campaign deadline; BCG's full-time deadline for the 2026 cycle was 18 October.
• If you study abroad, look for the firms' events for overseas Chinese students and check when your degree certificate will be issued.
• Read one recent public report on China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan from each firm you target.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-28. Sources, official pages first. "Reported" means a secondary source, not the firm or government itself.

• McKinsey Greater China: overview (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/cn/overview
• McKinsey: Careers in Greater China (language, internships, FAQ) (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/cn/careers-in-greater-china
• McKinsey: Business Analyst, Automotive, China (job posting) (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/search-jobs/jobs/businessanalyst-automotive-109741
• McKinsey: Junior Consultant, McKinsey Lanyue (job posting) (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/search-jobs/jobs/juniorconsultant-mckinseylanyue-111994
• BCG: Greater China offices (official): https://www.bcg.com/greater-china/offices
• BCG: International opportunities, including Greater China deadlines and languages (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/united-kingdom/international-opportunities
• BCG: Greater China overseas newly admitted MBA reception, June 2026 (event page) (official): https://bcg.eightfold.ai/events/candidate/landing?plannedEventId=Z3dMn09EY
• Bain: Shanghai office (official): https://www.bain.com/offices/shanghai/
• Bain: Hong Kong office (official): https://www.bain.com/offices/hong-kong/
• Bain: 2026 Taiwan Future Talent Program (event page) (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/work-with-us/recruiting-events/view-event-description/?eventid=101002
• Bain: Associate Consultant (job posting) (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/find-a-role/position/?jobid=10397
• Kearney: Locations (official): https://www.kearney.com/about/locations
• Oliver Wyman: Asia Pacific locations (official): https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/global-locations/asia-pacific.html
• Roland Berger Greater China: contact (official): https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Locations/Greater-China/Join/Join-Us/Contact-Us/
• Roland Berger: Consultant, Shanghai and Beijing (job posting) (official): https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Join/All-Jobs/Consultant-(Shanghai-Beijing)-REF4375E.html
• L.E.K.: Global offices (official): https://www.lek.com/global-offices
• KPMG China: Office locations (official): https://kpmg.com/cn/en/about/office-locations.html
• EY: Greater China locations (official): https://www.ey.com/en_us/locations/greater-china
• Accenture: Greater China locations (official): https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/locations/office-details?loc=Greater+China
• Hejun Consulting (in Chinese) (official): https://www.hejun.com/
• Allpku, Beida Zongheng (in Chinese) (official): https://www.allpku.com/
• Ministry of Education of China: autumn campus recruitment month, 2025 (in Chinese) (official government source): https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/bumen/202510/content_7044223.htm
• Beijing municipal government: work permit categories for foreigners (official government source): https://english.beijing.gov.cn/workinginbeijing/quickguideonemploymentservices/
• Hong Kong Immigration Department: IANG (official government source): https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/IANG.html
• Hong Kong Immigration Department: Top Talent Pass Scheme (official government source): https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/TTPS.html
• Taiwan: Employment Gold Card (official government source): https://goldcard.nat.gov.tw/en/
• Taiwan Workforce Development Agency: work permits for foreign professionals (official government source): https://ezworktaiwan.wda.gov.tw/en/
• Taiwan National Development Council: amended foreign professionals act, in force 1 January 2026 (official government source): https://foreigntalentact.ndc.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=F0746484B877D582&s=7B4B2A76879B6C83
• Reported: University of Manchester careers service, working in China: https://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/international/internationaljobs/workinchina/
• Reported: StudyHK, Hong Kong recruiting timeline (January 2026; limited reliability): https://www.studyin.hk/en/posts/career-recruiting-timeline/
• Reported (news): Reuters via US News, McKinsey cuts jobs in China, WSJ reports (16 October 2024): https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2024-10-16/mckinsey-cuts-hundreds-of-jobs-in-china-business-wsj-reports
• Reported (news): Reuters via US News, consulting firms and China (3 February 2026): https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2026-02-03/top-consulting-firms-test-boundaries-with-china-workarounds
• Reported (news): Al Jazeera, staff at Bain's Shanghai office questioned (27 April 2023): https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/4/27/chinese-police-question-staff-of-us-consulting-firm-bain
• Reported (news): Al Jazeera, Capvision investigated (9 May 2023): https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/5/9/china-probes-global-consulting-firm-amid-security-crackdown
• Reported (news): Reuters via Yahoo Finance, McKinsey cuts jobs in China (16 October 2024): https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mckinsey-cuts-hundreds-jobs-china-035403154.html
• Reported (news): Reuters via Investing.com, consulting firms and China (3 February 2026): https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/top-consulting-firms-test-boundaries-with-china-workarounds-4480592
• Reported (news): Reuters, revised counter-espionage law (26 April 2023): https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-passes-revised-counter-espionage-law-state-media-2023-04-26/