So an Indian fellow who studies four years at MIT can only get an IT job with an H1B visa? I find that hard to believe
Well you better believe me. Not only four years in IT at MIT, but PhD, MS or BS students in Ivy Leagues or otherwise in all disciplines get in only through the H1B program. That’s the American system. My roomate, a PhD in electrical engineering got approved for his H1B this year. Incidentally, he’s making six figures.
The American system is heavily skewed towards family based immigration.
The Canadian system, on the other hand, allows for self petition, where a person does not need an employer to sponsor. The applicant is evaluated on skills, education, language, age, whether a person completed school in Canada etc. and based on all these, a green card is awarded (or rejected), usually within 6 months to 18 months. The need for an H1B is eliminated. A person could apply from anywhere in the world. I personally know of two foreign students in US universities who applied during their studies and are now permanent residents of Canada.
I guess Microsoft is hoping to tap into foreign graduates from Canadian and American universities who may have been given Canadian green cards. And they’ll do it without the attendant bureaucratic hassle of getting an H1B first. At least, they are right on one count - foreign students, no matter how talented, (or not, depending on your view)cannot be hired in the US at the moment - which to some Americans is a great thing.