iPhone and Visa Trouble
I returned my new iPhone today.
It was a heartbreaking process - considering that I stood in line for hours and spent subsequent additional hours calling the Apple and AT&T support lines to help me get it to work. Between the activation woes and the now unrevivable phone battery, I have given up and returned my young love to its original home.
On my way to the store, my head was filled with the comments on this blog yesterday about the suspended dreams of Microsoft employment and the lack of answers from recruiting. As I went through the return process of my finicky phone, I felt the frustration of being sold a shiny new box that failed to work properly. Then, I thought of all of you and the crisp offer letter from Microsoft that has not materialized due to immigration constraints.
I realized that I am your virtual AT&T/Apple hold-up: the promise of something great, yet no one will help you fix it. Now, this is not to say that I think a new phone is in any way comparable to a new job. International relocation and visa sponsorship is life changing, and my phone is a mere blip in communication.
But, this realization did make me zip home from the store today and push for some more answers for all of you on the next steps on Vancouver.
I will be posting two follow-up topics in the next week: one about what’s been going on behind the scenes as we have been struggling with the visa cap, and another post about what you can expect for next steps.
Consider the Vancouver/Seattle swap the Smartphone/Apple equivalent. I’m hoping Microsoft pulls through for all of us.
Stay Tuned -
Jenna
23 Comments
Joe said:
should we stop applying if we are canadian? and wait for the BC office?
J said:
Hi Jenna,
I'm glad you you posted this today. A lot of us have put ourselves and our families to a lot of strain holding on to the shiny job offer while letting go of others options and plans :). After all its not every day that Microsoft would come in some regions out here and hire people through the rigorous interview process. But I completely understand both sides of the situation (H1b visa issues and new hire frustrations).
I'm glad microsoft opened up a dev centre in vancouver. Cant dev centres in China, Australia and India etc offer any help to relocate the new hires temporarily to these locations till their H1bs are sorted out. Some of us have visit visas to the US and can always avail that option to move to the US for 3-6 months on end or for training. Just my two cents.
Also, can Microsoft create an online forum exclusive for new hires and H1b rejectees so they can directly post questions to 1 or 2 dedicated recruiters for this topic.
Thanks,
J
J said:
Hi Jenna,
I'm glad you you posted this today. A lot of us have put ourselves and our families to a lot of strain holding on to the shiny job offer while letting go of others options and plans :). After all its not every day that Microsoft would come in some regions out here and hire people through the rigorous interview process. But I completely understand both sides of the situation (H1b visa issues and new hire frustrations).
I'm glad microsoft opened up a dev centre in vancouver. Cant dev centres in China, Australia and India etc offer any help to relocate the new hires temporarily to these locations till their H1bs are sorted out. Some of us have visit visas to the US and can always avail that option to move to the US for 3-6 months on end or for training. Just my two cents.
Also, can Microsoft create an online forum exclusive for new hires and H1b rejectees so they can directly post questions to 1 or 2 dedicated recruiters for this topic.
Thanks,
J
anotherPerson said:
Thank god for the iPhone ;)
looking forward eagerly to your next posts..
also like the idea of a forum monitored by a few people (say the jobsblog team) and consisting of the h1b rejectees.
msH1BRejected said:
That's awesome news Jenna. I will be tuned in the next posts. To be honest i wouldn't mind to work in Vancouver with a longer Visa than being in Redmond. I also think that if Vancouver does not fit for some of the H1B rejected ones MS will find another Visa type as H3 for them. I hope that this decision and start dates come out soon because we have to plan ourlives for this. I am looking foward to your next posts. Thanks for all concern :)
Some One said:
What about the unemployeed Americans? Where can they get a job? Do Americans go to other countries to work and those in other counteris come here? Why not work in the country your at and employee the poeple in the country of the company?
Canadian hiree said:
It's not about who is unemployed and where they were born, it's about who deserves the job. I never cease to be amazed at this sense of entitlement -- like people born in America deserve Microsoft jobs and nobody else. Now on a post where they've gone and opened a dev centre in another country, there's still this "what about unemployed Americans" talk.
Having said that, I'd really like your argument to make a bit of sense right now. I'm a Canadian in Toronto that's been hired for later this year. I struggled with whether to accept the offer or go to grad school here, or something else, and I have to admit moving far away and to the US were two factors that bothered me before I accepted. Ideally I'd like it if I were instead hired to the Vancouver branch (but not doing something less interesting than what I will be doing in Redmond). Actually, even more ideally I'd like them to build the dev centre in downtown Toronto and be hired for right here and not have to leave friends and family behind ;). I'd even wait a little longer for my start date for Vancouver. But these are probably futile wishes. Ironically, as a Canadian there's no real need for me to be in the Canadian centre since I don't need an H1-B to work in the US, so they'd probably save positions for those who do.
Jenna said:
To Some One-
A recent blogger at Goggle got in some serious hot water over airing her political opinions regarding Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko" on a public Google forum. So I am slightly shy about writing a response that exposes my political leanings and overbearing opinions.
So instead let me say this:
The concern over "preserving American jobs" is exactly what has led to the H1B cap and our subsequent Canadian office. What remains to be seen is what happens to the economy when we drive educated talent pools and salaries into Canada instead of the US. So while I will leave my rant to a minimum, I will tell you that I think it's likely time to invest in hockey teams and maple syrup.
-Jenna
aMicrosoftHire said:
See getting the iPhone was not the toughest part :P
Looking forward to more blog posts on the Canada center.
@Some One: Microsoft is a global company and develops products for global markets and hence needs people from around the globe at it's head quarters where decisions for global product are made. (I know, I know.. I used global a lot in the sentence).
anotherMSHire said:
Thanks Jenna for this great news.
Just wondering if Canada is an option for just MSN folks or for other groups as well?
MSFtieSoon said:
hey anotherMShire.. where did u get the info that it was an option for "MSN folk"??
and does that cover the mobile stuff - mobile maps, mobile search etc?
disgruntled said:
My recruiter is completely unprofessional - does not return emails, phone calls etc and has been so for months now.
Is there any way that i can deal with someone else?
Saurabh Garg said:
You should not have given up on the iPhone so quickly. The Apple Store is extremely helpful, and doesn't fuss at all about giving you brand new replacement iPhones, instead of refurbs etc. I had mine replaced due to a cosmetic flaw, and they even extended the warranty by a week! It is the best phone I have ever had, and I have used a few smartphones.
Also, I disdain everyone who thinks that a global company should only hire Americans just because they're headquartered in this country. America didn't become a super-power just because of a sense of self-entitlement.
zoleran said:
I think this blog ( below) has got the right idea, way to much HR / BS in corporate HQ today~
<a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://companydissatisfaction.blogspot.com/">http://companydissatisfaction.blogspot.com/</a>
Noticias externas said:
Wow, all of you are keeping me busy! My email is full of questions about Vancouver. As promised , this
Someone said:
you know, there are plenty of wonderful windows mobile phones out that with way more capability than the iphone.
HAL 9000 SP4 said:
I think the iPhone definitely has 1.0-itis (no copy/paste, only syncs with iTunes, no flash support, and the list goes on, as we all know...), but is nevertheless very retro-iconclastic. From a business model standpoint, it also advances Apple's recurring revenue and mobile media footing. Well...good for them, even if it is a shrunken, 1987 Radius Pivot, now in color.
However, I am perplexed to admit that when I am not at home, my fiancée puts her iPhone on my pillow and calls it "darling."
We may soon have an inexplicable techno-vanishing.
"Nope - haven't seen it - did you look in your car?" >8)
RP said:
I understand your frustation in more ways than I would want to.
I have a B.S. in Computer Engineering (Cum Laude, 2005) from CalState, Northridge. I currently work as a Senior Developer/Team Director for a financial IT services company in Madrid, Spain. I do not have a US resident status, so I find myself in the unusual position of having a US degree but having to apply as a non resident, without the benefit of a practical training year (I studied under an H4 visa status). On top of that, my degree isn't officially recognized here in Spain, so, double whammy!!
I studied for 4 years knowing that I would have to convince a prospective employer to immediately endorse me for an H1 (no practical year option), with the added caveat of not even having the benefit of a previous intership (H4s are very restrictive). Right after my graduation I recieved an excellent job offer as a Software Engineer, the employer offered to endorse me. A week later I learned that the H1-B visa application procedure (the one I had been counting upon for 4 years) had changed, that it required applications to be filed beginning in April, that visas were only issued on October, and that the cap had been lowered.
I hope for everybody's sake, that this nonsense soon evaporates. There is a reason companies hire non-residents and it isn't to cut costs.
Also, H1 dependants beware: You have no working rights whatsoever, it really is a 1950s concept of a work visa
Microsoft's JobsBlog said:
Wow, all of you are keeping me busy! My email is full of questions about Vancouver. As promised , this
Noticias externas said:
My iPod was stolen a couple of weeks ago. Okay, actually all three of my iPods were stolen. Yes, that
RecentHire said:
Hi jenna,
you said the teams will individually decide who will go to Vancouver.. is this a good time then to try to get in touch with our managers and try to convince them to let us come to Vancouver?
Jenna said:
Saurabh-
Yes, I agree,... but even in my escalation calls to Apple they wanted to charge me for a loaner while they fixed my phone OR they would charge me a 10% restocking fee to return it.
Anyone who reads knows that I usually love Apple--- but on this issue they really left me hanging.
-Jenna
Steve de Jobs said:
If I am Bill Gates, I would fire all these Microsofties who bought iPhone without my permission.
And I won't hire these people if they knock on Apple's door either. What a bunch of losers!