An optical splice joint and splicing process are provided for joining an end portion of a microstructured optical fiber (1) having a microstructure (5) formed from an array of holes (7), and a conventional optical fiber (3). The optical splice joint (27) is formed from a fused portion of opposing end portions (15, 17) of the microstructured optical fiber (1) and optical fiber (3), wherein the microstructured optical fiber (1) is surrounded by a jacket (9) that is at least 1.6 times thicker along its radius than the microstructure (5), and has a tensile strength of at least 30 Kpsi with an optical loss of less than 0.30 dB, and relatively little shrinkage (i.e., about 30%) of the holes (7) forming the microstructure (5). The splice joint (27) is formed by aligning end portions (15, 17) of the microstructured optical fiber (1) and the optical fiber (3), in a fusion splicer (18), and applying fusion heat to the fiber ends (25a, 25b) in a two step process with a low current arc (23) that is offset with respect to the end of the microstructured optical fiber (25a, 25b).