China’s new visa for foreign workers - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

In August, China launched a new “K visa”, to attract young science and technology graduates.

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It came into effect on 1st October 2025 and although there isn’t a lot of information about what the visa will allow people to do, it’s getting a lot of media attention. Many people in China aren’t happy about it. That’s because millions of Chinese graduates can’t find jobs and there are worries over preferential treatment for foreigners.

Mengchen Zhang, from the BBC’s Global China Unit, joins Hannah in the studio to explain what we know about the K visa, why the Chinese government has introduced it and why it’s so hard right now for Chinese grads to find work. We also discuss Chinese work culture, including the new concept of 007.

00:00 Intro
01:09 What do we know about the visa?
02:05 The work culture in China
02:54 Englishman working in China
04:09 What can these visas get you?
04:35 The expected application process
05:15 The backlash in China
06:00 Youth unemployment in China
07:00 Young people pretending to work
07:27 Fake offices
07:50 Why is China recruiting externally?
08:25 U.S. changing H-1B visa
09:50 Who might be attracted by China’s new visa?

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producer : Julia Ross-Roy
Video producer: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

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