By Volha Hurskaya
Canadian immigrant turned top-75 mortgage broker reveals systematic approach behind Clear Trust Mortgages leadership
Canada in 2025 remains one of the most attractive countries for immigrant entrepreneurs. Nearly one-third of all businesses with employees are owned by new Canadians, and their companies demonstrate consistently higher growth rates and innovation metrics. These individuals don't just create jobs — they implement global practices adapted to local conditions, often becoming drivers of change in their industries.
Jinye Zhang exemplifies this transformation at scale. Moving to Vancouver without financial sector experience, he became one of Canada's top-75 mortgage brokers in just six years, earning Dominion Lending Centre's Diamond Award for four consecutive years (2022-2024). His success helped position DLC Clear Trust Mortgages — working with over 40 lenders across residential and commercial products — as a market leader.
Zhang's trajectory offers a masterclass in strategic networking and systematic growth. What makes his story globally relevant is not geography, but method: his approach shows how newcomers in any country can leverage persistence, technology, and adaptability to build trust-based businesses from scratch. Starting from weekend visits to open houses where he met over a hundred real estate agents, he built a practice where nearly half of the new business now comes through client referrals. His integration of CRM systems, which he describes as 'a full-time employee that remembers every detail from five years ago,' combined with strategic social media presence, created a scalable model for trust-building in a relationship-driven industry.
The story becomes more compelling when considering Zhang's background. His previous career in hotel industry and business development operations, dealing with complex commercial real estate and investment structures, provided unexpected advantages in understanding commercial mortgages. Before moving into finance, he worked with STR Global Limited and Langham Hospitality Group, where he focused on market performance analytics and operational optimization, helping drive stronger occupancy and revenue outcomes across Asia-Pacific properties. This cross-industry expertise demonstrates how immigrant professionals often bring unique perspectives that create competitive advantages in established markets across global markets where financial services and real estate intersect.
Challenges as Opportunities
The move to Canada was a deliberate step for his future. At the time, Jinye faced a simple but ambitious goal: to provide a better life for his family. However, reality proved to be challenging: the absence of a network, the need to build a career in a new cultural and professional environment, and a complete change of industry. There were no colleagues, partners, or even friends who could advise him on how the market worked.
“The main difficulty was the lack of connections. I had to build a network from scratch. On top of that, I made a sharp shift—from the hotel industry to mortgages,” he recalls.
The entry point into his new profession was unexpected. When buying his first home in Vancouver, Zhang encountered difficulties with his mortgage application as a new immigrant. A broker helped him navigate the process, introducing him to the basics and later becoming his mentor and bringing him into the industry.
Since then, much has happened. Jinye has established himself among the leading brokers at DLC Clear Trust Mortgages, helped the company become a market leader, and maintained national ranking positions for four consecutive years. From 2022 to 2024, he received the prestigious Diamond Award from Dominion Lending Centre, recognizing his high level of service and client trust. “Being among the top brokers year after year is not easy: you have to maintain pace and constantly demonstrate quality work,” he notes.
Building Reputation from Scratch
Receiving the national “Top 75 Best Mortgage Brokers in Canada” Award in just six years required not only hard work but also courage. According to Zhang, the secret of his rapid success lies in continuous development, learning, and a willingness to take on new challenges. He emphasizes that in a broker’s work, it is especially important to offer clients a variety of options and scenarios, and flexibility has become his strong point. Today, he works with more than 40 lenders, allowing him to find solutions for clients with different income levels and needs.
An equally important part of his strategy has been building a reputation through client experience. “Almost half of my new business comes through referrals from previous clients. That’s because the process was simple and transparent for them. People come back and recommend me to friends,” he notes.
The first months on the job were crucial, when Jinye literally went out into the market and, as he recalls, “lived at open houses.” Every weekend, he attended dozens of open houses, met more than a hundred real estate agents, and looked for initial footholds, while simultaneously seeking additional, less obvious ways to enter the local market. This model of trust-based growth is relevant not only to Canadian finance but also to emerging markets worldwide, where financial literacy and self-employed income verification remain key barriers for clients seeking access to credit.
Technology as a Partner
Key growth tools Zhang relied on in his business were CRM systems and social media. CRM helps him track all deals, store client data, and maintain connections even over the years, creating the impression of a personal touch that builds loyalty.
He sees social media not as a direct source of leads, but as a way to earn trust. The content he publishes gives potential clients the chance to get to know him before the first meeting, see him as an expert, and decide to work with him. “Content doesn’t always generate direct leads, but it creates the feeling of a familiar face,” he explains.
This combination of digital tools and human connection reflects a universal shift in financial services — from transactional interactions to long-term relationship ecosystems, driven by personalization and transparency.
Principles That Always Work
Becoming a prominent player in the market means solidifying one’s expertise. Jinye regularly shares his experience with colleagues—brokers and realtors—conducting training sessions that focus on principles tested in his own practice, from seeking contacts wherever possible to handling commercial real estate transactions. As a mentor, he constantly returns to three key principles. First, act without waiting for the perfect moment. Second, find your niche, because there is no universal path to success. Third, be able to see opportunities even in a slow market.
“For example, in 2025, the luxury property and pre-sale segment has noticeably slowed. But that means there are more opportunities for first-time homebuyers or those looking to upsize,” he explains.
In essence, his experience led Jinye to an adaptive approach that is necessary in any economy facing uncertainty, from Asia to Europe, where resilience and flexibility determine sustainable growth.
Experience as an Advantage
Despite impressive achievements in the mortgage business, Zhang maintains connections to where he started his career. Although the transition to a new field was a fresh challenge, his previous work in the hotel industry proved valuable.
“A hotel is a unique and complex asset, combining real estate and operations. It requires a deep understanding of both financial structure and management,” Jinye explains. “This made it easier for me to enter the commercial deal space and today helps me look at the mortgage business more broadly and see its connection to other market segments.”
Advice for Those Starting from Scratch
Jinye knows well what it means to arrive in a new country without connections or support. He does not hide that the first years were especially challenging: he had to adapt to the culture, learn business communication skills, and understand the specifics of the Canadian market. It was then, he says, that he developed his main principle—not to wait for the perfect moment, but to act immediately. For him, success is built on consistency, on the willingness to take small steps every day, even when results are not immediately visible.
His advice to new immigrants is simple but reflects personal experience: be active, build your network, and learn faster than the situation demands. “When I came to Canada, I didn’t know a single person. I spent my weekends looking for any opportunity to shake a hand and leave a business card. If you don’t have a network, you have to build it yourself,” he says. And this is not a slogan, but proven practice: it was this approach that allowed him to move from a complete beginner to one of the most prominent market players. This approach applies to anyone navigating change — whether entering a new country, a new market, or a new industry. Persistence, adaptability, and trust-building are universal currencies of success.
Looking Ahead
Today, Zhang continues to expand his horizons. His focus is not only on mortgages but also on a broader understanding of how finance can serve community development. He believes that in the future, the lines between mortgages, commercial real estate, and the hotel business will become increasingly blurred. This creates unique opportunities for those willing to think flexibly and apply their experience across multiple fields.
His path has not been linear or predictable. Every turn, from changing countries to changing industries, opened new opportunities and challenges. And it is precisely the willingness to take risks, work harder than required, and seek one’s own solutions that allows him to keep moving forward. For Zhang, the mortgage business has become not an endpoint, but just one step in a larger journey that continues to evolve.
