Canada
This blog has been a-buzz with comments and questions about the H1B visa cap in the US and the impacted individuals who have had their sponsorship and employment stalled.
Saavy readers will notice that I have been unusually quiet about the topic, and the reason is because I knew we had a plan in the works…
Now, I can let all of the rest of you in on the secret: we decided to expand our footprint north of the border, and are opening a development center in Vancouver, Canada!
Microsoft believes that Vancouver is an international gateway to the world and an attractive destination for Canadians and people from other countries around the world looking for highly skilled jobs. And since we have development centers around the world both within the US and outside the US, what is just one more office? We are delighted about expanding Microsoft Canada's presence to the greater Vancouver area with the Microsoft Canada Development Centre.
So, what does this have to do with the US H1B visa cap? Not only will this be a full development center, but it will also be a great alternative location for some of the new hires into Microsoft who have not been able to get their H1B visas this year due to the limited quota. Since Vancouver is just a short train/car ride away, it will be easy to stay in touch.
We are targeting to open this development center in September and I can’t wait to make a trip up there. Vancouver has awesome shopping, and sushi. Don’t forget Whistler is so close, too!
So, I hope to see you all there!
-Jenna
33 Comments
Charles said:
Hi Jenna,
As always, you've just posted another good one!:-) I really enjoy reading your articles, they are informative and fun.
I heard this news on the radio a couple of days ago; I am wondering will Microsoft start to host any hiring events across Canada soon?
I knew that most jobs current posted on the Microsoft Canada website are service & consulting related; not much for the R&D organizations. Will this situation be changed soon in terms of when will I be able to apply for positions in the new center in Vancouver?
Thanks!
Charles
Joe said:
Jenna, can we submit our resumes from now for the new center, want to be among the first in the queue
Arun said:
Looks like there is already a queue....count me in as well ;)
Noticias externas said:
Woo hoo! They have just announced the Vancouver Development Center, as Jenna posted on JobsBlog . This
AG said:
Hello Jenna,
It nice to know that you are opening up a center in Vancouver which will also include new hires who were not approved for H1B visa.
But this is rather late decision by Microsoft and surprises me that Microsoft did not have any plans for the new hires not approved for H1B visa until now. Microsoft had time from 1st April 2007 until now to decide on the issue and should have made a decision about this way earlier. There was no reason for the starting dates being delayed. The only communication from you to the new hires was pretty rude IMHO. It was very disheartening for your new hires to receive such a communication from you. It was for Microsoft to gracefully take into consideration the rejected H1B hires. Microsoft is anyways not doing good in attracting best talent for some time now, and this behavior is certainly not going to improve it any further, if not harm. I will certainly not recommend anyone even going through your hiring process given the uncertainty and imbalanced immature decision making you've shown.
Best,
AG
Jenna said:
To AG- Let me just correct something: start dates for the hires were *not* delayed as you state . The pending H1Bs could not start working in the US before October, so there is no change. What has been unfortuante however (in my opinion) was the uncertain climate for the H1B candidates who were left "wondering" what would happen.
To aPerson- were you hired already by Microsoft but have not started? If so, you will want to ask your recruiter. Each team is deciing what positions/teams to put in Vancouver and your recruiter would know the details.
To Joe and Charles- the first step is to open the site with the already hired people... and THEN we will post and open new jobs. So don't submit your resume yet... but as soon as we start staffing our new projects I will make sure you are the first to know.
Jenna said:
AG- ok got it... I see with the OPT what you are saying. What I said (in not as complete of terms) was that you could not start on an H1B prior to Ocotber. But in the case of an OPT without enough time to carry you to the next allotment- yes I see.
So, are you not interested in going to Vancouver?
I can see from the outside how this seems slow- but from my perspective the Vancouver site seems quick. We were surprised that the visa cap happened so quickly- so the decision to open a whole new dev center (real estate, infrastructure, management) in less than 3 months seems lightening fast to me. But I understand how it might not feel that way from your perspective....
AG said:
Thanks Jenna for the clarifications.
I agree setting up a new office in 3 months could be fast for you. But I just wanted to know why students with OPT were disallowed to start and what is achieved by postponing their start dates? Wouldn't it be less of a hassle by having them join in on OPT and then work it out whether to move them to Canada during the "no status" period? Why leave your own employees in a soup in such a way that would hamper your own image as a caring employer? Now most of them I know are already on a lookout for a job, or may have even accepted offers from other companies..after all, their OPT is being wasted.
Sorry, but I have no plans to go to Vancouver and join Microsoft.
Thanks for all your answers,
AG
aMicrosoftHire said:
Hi Jenna,
I am one of the Microsoft hires who did not clear the H1B lottery. I really appreciate the effort being put in by Bill Gates and Microsoft to convince the Senate to increase the H1B cap.
Opening a dev center in Vancouver, Canada is definitely the best alternative at this point of time for the hires who were supposed to start working Oct 2007.
But Jenna, what are the odds for the Microsoft hires who did not get H1B to work in Vancouver starting September? According to my calculations odds of getting an H1B were 65k out of 150k and the chances of a Microsoft hire who did not get an H1B getting to work in Vancouver this September are 200 out of around 1500. Way worse than the H1B lottery. What kind of a selection system is being followed for the Vancouver dev center. Could you shed some light on it.
Looking forward to ordering Sushi with you in Vancouver during your visit there.
PS: The mental pressure of waiting for the H1B results and now the backup plans is probably the worst thing I have put myself and my family through. I completely understand what AG has gone through and am sad that he would not be working for MS.
aPerson said:
Hey Jenna..
i have already been hired ..
and my concern is the same as aMicrosoftHire's .. since the center wil start with onl 200 people and there are about 1500+ h1b rejected folk.. a large majority of us wont be going there..
So each team will individually decide whether they can have their hire work remotely from vancouver then.. what about the folk whose teams decide not to have them work remotely.. or what if too many teams agree and we have over 200 candidates being approevd for vancouver..
yes 3 months is lightening fast. but people like me have been waiting for over a year now.. still if i end up in vancouver i'd call the wait worth it...
After the exceptionally pleasant and interesting interview,
the things sorely missing from this whole 1yr+ and going Microsoft recruiting experience is transparency and regular communication. If our recruiter does not get back to us regularly, what recourse do we have? A lot emailing random people means the job gets done in the end but the process is much more painful than it needs to be.
There is a bunch of us H1B-rejected folk at:
<a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://groups.google.com/group/Microsofties2b">http://groups.google.com/group/Microsofties2b</a>
aPM said:
Hi Jenna,
great tohear this.. been waiting a long time..
I was hired as a PM fresh out of college but have been held bak by the h1b..
is it feasibe for a PM to work remotely .. considering the amount of communication and interation he is supposed to have with his team and various other people?
so is this center just for devs and other people who can do their work without as much interaction with other parts of MS? or do we PMs have a shot too?
Samy Saied said:
Hi Jenna,
I was one of the accepted applicants in the phone interview in Egypt last March'07, and I was instructed that I would have my personal interview in April.
Unfortunately things didn't work out because of the H1B cap and I was told things would be delayed.
So I was wondering what would be my status regarding the personal interview?
When I heard the news about the development center in Canada, I was also thrilled, because I applyed on an immigration Visa to Canada and it is being processed since two years ago. So I wish I can work things out and be able to work in Microsoft after all.
Please let me know if there is anything can be done from my side to speed up the interviewing process.
Rosie said:
AG, aMicrosoftHire, aPerson - I understand that it must really suck to be in a state of limbo about your employment status. But I don't understand how you can put so much blame on the lap of Microsoft and recruiters. The situation is incredibly complex, so much so that Bill Gates testified to US Congress on behalf of increasing the number of H1B visas allowed. And that Microsoft is now opening a whole new development center - who knows what that costs - to help accomodate those impacted by the cap. It seems to me that the company is doing its best to make things work when much of the situation is out of their control.
When a company believes in you enough to give you an offer, it seems to me you should give the company some beneft of the doubt that they're trying to do the right thing. Communication can always be better, show me a company that can't improve and I'll faint, but let the effort stand for something.
And in case you're thinking that this a naive comment - I disagree and would instead call it more objective. It's a rotten situation, but you've got to acknowledge that a lot of effort is being made by Microsoft on your behalf.
AG said:
Dear Rosie,
You are still not answering my question. I just want to know why students with OPT were disallowed to start and what is achieved by putting them in a soup and postponing their start dates? Blame goes on the lap of Microsoft and its recruiters because they could've allowed F1 students with OPT to start as per the start dates despite the H1B rejection. It was simply senseless to postpone the start dates.
And to clarify, I'm not one of the students affected by the lame-Microsoft-decision crises. Microsoft would be the last company I'd go to.
AG
Observer said:
@AG: I'm guessing here, but perhaps the decision not to allow students to start on their OPT stems from the sheer uncertainty of the whole situation.
Right now, nobody knows whether the same thing will happen again next year (i.e., the visa lottery). Committing so many resources to fill a position that might be in jeopardy the following year (due to the lottery) is risky. Projects may take longer than a year to see through, and having to refill the same position the next year is a drag on the company, team, and employee. Microsoft would have to relocate the employee, the team would have to refill the position and possibly delay the project, and the employee would have to go through reinterview and relocate after a relatively short period of time.
All in all, a hassle for everyone involved, wouldn't you agree?
David Hayes said:
I think this is great news, I've always fancied working for Microsoft but up until now I've never been in a location that provided that possibility (recently moved from the UK to Vancouver). Should be excellent news for the Vancouver IT market in general. Any news on where the dev center will be based?
someoneElse said:
The main concern raised by aMicrosoftHire is still unanswered..
the reports state that this new center will have about 200 people.. but there are over 1000 people hired by MS and without an H1B .. so will only 200 of those be working at vancouver? and what happens to the others?
Jenna said:
There are so many questions that have popped up that I will do a follow up post--- but let me give some brief answers to the most burning concerns:
To AG- Some poeple did start on OPTs.. BUT only if we had a secured H1B for October. The reason is because OPTs have a short lifespan- and if we could not get you an H1B (and subsequent greencard which we apply for on behalf of all employees) then your work here would be temporary. We did not want to hire and relocate people, only to have to terminate them months later when they did not get an H1B.
And regarding "what happens with the the people not selected for Vancouver?".... it is curious that you are quoting the "200" number. News reports have been vague on the exact number, but most published stories have quoted "The facility, to open in the fall of 2007 with about 200 employees with that number forecast to climb as high as 800". So don't assume that 200 is capacity, and don't assume you know exactly how many cases are impacted either. We are currently figuring out what roles will be in Vancouver, and we will be notifying the people with the relocaiton option shortly.
I'll post a follow up reply on the blog to address in more detail.
Thanks All for all the comments and questions...
-Jenna
Aperson said:
Hey Jenna.. dont get me wrong.. this totally rocks .. its just a very sudden and very pleasant surprise.. hence the barrage of questions...
No other company has done this for its hires.. (no, not even the one that rhymes with moogle).. so hats off really!
Anonymous said:
I am also one of the Microsoft hires who did not clear the H1B lottery and i am participating in the Microsofties2b list mentioned by aPerson. I think this Vancouver Center works fine for people like me. I just wonder whether i will have to go through all interview process again. I hope that the position that i got the offer still openned by the time they decide who should go to this new center. What do you think Jenna? Will we have to re-interview? I guess that meetings wouldn't be a problem if our managers were located in Redmond and we we located in Vancouver. Thus, working remotely would be feasible as aPerson said.
aMicrosoftHire said:
@Rosie: I did not blame MS for the problems. It is the immigration policy and the body shoppers who are to blame for the situation we are in.
@Jenna: Looking forward for the next blog post. Could we have the official figure of the number of people affected by the H1B lottery and the starting capacity of the Vancouver dev center.
Even approximate numbers are good enough.
Our calculations of the number of rejects were educated guesses based on the number of H1B granted to Microsoft last year.
supporterOFaMicrosoftHire said:
Hi Jenna,
It would be great to know
* the number of rejected H1b applications
* the percentage of rejected H1b applicants that Vancouver could accommodate.
StillAnotherMSHire said:
I second YetAnotherMsHire's sentiments..
even now., with so many questions regarding vancouver.. A forum with access restricted to those who were hired along with regular oversight and input by even one dedicated recruiter would go very far in making the process much simpler.
rvg said:
Amazing news and thanks for being so candid with your responses. I have 14 years experience architecting and developing solutions with microsoft technologies and working for Microsoft has always been an aspiration but relocation was never an option I seriously considered. Now that Microsoft will be a 10 minute drive away I hope that I can become part of that team!
You mentioned that people should wait until there are new postings before applying. If there is anything I can do to expedite this or to be better prepared when the job postings do become available then please let me know!
rvg
Mayur said:
Hi Jenna. Can you add me to the notification list when the jobs are officially posted? I am a Canadian citizen, living in Vancouver with over 10 years experience.
mayur@NOSPAMPLEASEredprimary.com
Thanks
Samir said:
Hey Jenna,
This blog is quite informative for International students. I am on my workpermit and will get Permanent Residence within next two months.
Currently, I am working in Waterloo in RIM but yes, I am also attracted by the craze of working for MS. Please, add me in the notification list.
samir198@gmail.com
Thanks,
T said:
Is there any recruiting from Egypt anytime soon? Thank you for your informative posts.
Microsoft's JobsBlog said:
As promised, I am writing a two-part post about the H1B visa issue and Vancouver Development Centre option.
Sorting It All Out said:
Woo hoo! They have just announced the Vancouver Development Center, as Jenna posted on JobsBlog . This
aPerson said:
wow!
i am one of the people affected by the h1b quota.. (been waiting for over a year now)..
I haven't heard anything from my recruiter or anyone else yet.. is this a solution for all ms hires? .. the press release i read said there will only be 200 people to begin with.. and I know there are many more people (about 1500) who were hired by ms and rejected in the h1b lottery.. so how does this work?
also, will we have to re-interview or will we work remotely?
thanks a ton!!
AG said:
Jenna,
Quoting from your email to the new-hires who did not get their H1B approved:
<quote>
*FAQ for Candidates who do not get an H1B this year*:
Visas
- *I have just completed my studies in the US in F1 status, can't I
just start on my OPT and apply for the H-1B again next year? *
This may be possible for candidates, especially those with advanced degrees, who graduate after August 2007 and still have a full 12 months of OPT left. Even is this option is sought, there is no guarantee that you will obtain an H-1B if there is a lottery next year. If this situation applies to you, please bring this up to your attorney and recruiter and they can help you evaluate whether this is an option.
<snip>
Logistics
* *
· *My start date is scheduled soon, will I still start then? *
If your start date is prior to June 30th and you do not have an approved H-1B, WE WILL BE DELAYING YOUR START DATE. If you have an approved H-1B for October 1, 2007 and current work authorization that is valid until that date, you may expect to start as scheduled.
</quote>
Your claim that the start dates were not delayed is plain wrong. I know _real_ people who have been stranded due to your delayed decision making and who were supposed to start by around mid-June.
AG
yetanotherMShire said:
We do understand that MS has done its best to look for other options for those who are not selected from the lottery but I guess it can be improved. It is a very difficult situation to be in where one has made a lot of planning and put on hold many of the personal decision and then learning that one is not selected. There was also no clear communication from MS and we had to rely on the various forums in the net to learn what is happening. May be MS could have setup a private forum or groups which is restricted only to those selected so they can discuss all these concerns.
MN Web Design said:
What a great idea for a blog! I don't recall ever seeing another company blog about their job openings. And, what better way to scope out your prospects! Thank you so much for sharing all of this information.