Nominee Program Business Stream Issues First Permanent Residency Nomination

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Blog Entries

June 19, 2018

Binjun (Colin) Wang arrived in Yellowknife in August 2016 travelling from Shanghai, China with his young family, a collection of suitcases and a business plan. As he stepped off the plane at the end of a long travel day, the lingering daylight captured his vision of long days but a bright and successful future.

Colin was the first to arrive in the Northwest Territories (NWT) under the revitalized Business Stream of the NWT Nominee Program.

For two years, he dedicated himself to seeing his business, Diamond Drycleaners, succeed. The work paid off and earlier this month as Colin also became the NWT Nominee Program’s first Business Stream nominee for permanent residency. It means that Colin can now apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residency.

Binjun (Colin) Wang at his business Diamond Drycleaners in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. 

Jet-setting and launching a new business sounds exciting but it also requires an immense amount of skill, planning and dedication.

“Moving to a new country and running a new business comes with challenges but for me and my family, it was definitely worth it,” Colin says. “Living and working in the Northwest Territories means that my children will receive a better education and have a more suitable environment to grow up in.”

While Colin is the first to complete the multi-year program, seven more applicants are expected to receive their permanent residency nominations from ITI in 2019.

The NWT Nominee Program  

The NWT Nominee Program is delivered in partnership by the Government of the Northwest Territories and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The Program’s Business Stream is designed to attract individuals with business expertise who can start or invest in a business that will contribute to greater economic development and diversification.

By the Numbers:
*Note: Nominee Program numbers may change based on the fluid nature of applications.

  • Nine: Total applicants who have arrived in the NWT. Seven have operational businesses and the rest are set to begin operations later this year.
  • 25: Number of family members who accompanied applicants to the NWT
  • $2.86M: Total investment made in the NWT by the nine applicants
  • Six: Number of applicants who have signed or are in the process of signing their Business Plan Application and are awaiting arrival in the NWT.
  • $2.45M: Total proposed investment to be made in the NWT, if those six applicants are successful.

To prosper and grow, economies need people. As the NWT works to build its workforce and small business sector, ITI’s delivery of the Nominee Program’s Business Stream is one tool with which the GNWT is developing the NWT economy.

To learn more about the NWT Nominee Program, visit: www.immigratenwt.ca