Microsoft plans big Vancouver, B.C., software center

Microsoft announced this morning that it will open a software development center this fall in the Vancouver, B.C., area, with room for hundreds of workers.

The company cited Vancouver’s proximity to Redmond, its status as “a global gateway with a diverse population” — and a third reason that could stir further controversy among U.S. policy makers and technology workers: Microsoft said in its news release that the office will help it “recruit and retain highly skilled people affected by immigration issues in the U.S.”

That was a reference to current limits on the number of foreign technology workers allowed into the country. Microsoft has long called for lifting the federal cap on H-1B visas, to help international recruiting efforts. In response, tech workers and unions in the U.S. contend that Microsoft and other companies aren’t taking full advantage of the domestic work force.

The issue was in the news again last week due to the latest failure of immigration reform, which included provisions to relax the limits on H-1B visas.

However, Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos said this morning that the Vancouver office has been in the works for some time and immigration issues weren’t the primary factor in creating the facility. He said the company would be opening the center even if the H-1B challenge didn’t exist.

Microsoft has many locations around the world, many of them for sales and marketing, but also software development centers in places such as India, Ireland, Denmark and Israel. However, the Vancouver plans are notable because they will give the company a large software development center less than three hours from Redmond, by car.

The precise location in the Vancouver area hasn’t been officially set, but the company expects to have capacity for about 200 people to start, with room to grow, Gellos said. Microsoft currently employs about 900 people in Canada, and that figure could now double over the next few years, he said.

The company hasn’t yet determined what types of software development will take place in the Vancouver office. In addition to new hires, Gellos said, the office may include some people who want to relocate from Redmond, such as Canadians interested in returning to the country.