UK Mortgages for Foreign Nationals (Without ILR)

Quick answer

Yes — many UK lenders accept foreign nationals without ILR, though options narrow. Visa type, time remaining on the visa (ideally 2+ years), UK residency length, income and credit history matter most. Deposits are often higher: from 5-10% at some lenders if you earn about £50,000+ and have lived here a year, but 15-25% is common otherwise. Mainstream lenders such as Halifax, Santander, Nationwide and HSBC consider visa holders, usually with a lower LTV cap or a minimum income, alongside specialist lenders.

If you're living and working in the UK on a visa but don't yet have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), mortgage options narrow but are often available. Most high-street lenders now accept Skilled Worker visa holders, spouse visa holders, and other work visa categories — provided you meet specific residency, income, and visa-length criteria.

This guide covers which visa types can get UK mortgages, the lender landscape, typical criteria, and where a broker can help when mainstream lenders decline. For lender-by-lender detail — maximum LTV without ILR, minimum months left on the visa, and how each lender treats foreign income — our sister site Visa Mortgage Guide maintains dated criteria tables for the lenders it tracks.

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Who This Guide Is For

You're a foreign national living in the UK and want to buy a property as your main residence. You don't yet have ILR. If you're an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme already counts as ILR; pre-settled status is limited leave, which this guide covers. You may be on:

Skilled Worker visa (formerly Tier 2)
Health & Care Worker visa
Spouse / partner visa (married or civil partnership with a UK citizen/ILR holder)
Global Talent visa
Innovator Founder / Scale-up visa
Student visa (formerly Tier 4) — very limited options
Pre-settled status (EU nationals under the EUSS)
Temporary work visa categories

If you've already got ILR, Settled Status (EUSS), or British citizenship, you're treated the same as any UK-born applicant by most lenders — this guide isn't for you.

If you're a British citizen living overseas rather than a foreign national living in the UK, you're not the audience for this guide either — see our British expat mortgage guide instead, which covers FX income haircuts, expat-friendly lenders, and country-specific criteria.

Can You Actually Get a UK Mortgage on a Visa?

Yes — but with significant criteria differences vs a UK citizen.

The key points:

Not all lenders accept visa holders. Of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track, 50 consider Skilled Worker visa holders without ILR. The others want ILR, settled status or British citizenship.
Visa length remaining matters. Of those 50, 18 will still lend with 6 months or less left on the visa. Most of the rest want at least 12 months, and a few want 18 to 24 months. This is the biggest filter.
Time in the UK matters. 31 of the 75 lenders consider applicants with under 2 years in the UK, and 17 with under 1 year. Most also want a UK bank account.
Deposit depends on income and time in the UK. Below about £50,000 income, 25% is common (75% LTV caps at Halifax, Santander, Nationwide, Accord and NatWest). With £50,000+ and a year in the UK, several mainstream lenders go to 90% LTV, and Halifax, Hodge and Principality to 95%.
Income criteria same or stricter. Usually no higher threshold, but self-employed with non-UK accounts may struggle.

Lenders That Accept Visa Holders

Mainstream lenders (wider acceptance)

HSBC: no published minimum time left on the visa (Student and Temporary Worker visas not accepted). Up to 85% LTV, with at least a 15% deposit from your own savings (gifts only on top). You need 12 months living in the UK, or one applicant earning £75,000+ (basic pay, excluding variable income), or £100,000 joint.
NatWest: at least 6 months left on the visa. No minimum time in the UK (subject to credit scoring), but up to 75% LTV, repayment only, with the deposit from your own resources.
Santander: no published minimum time left on the visa. Up to 75% LTV; up to 90% if you have lived in the UK 1+ year and earn £50,000 single or £75,000 joint (£200,000 if under 1 year).
Halifax: no visa-type or visa-validity requirement. Up to 95% LTV with a permanent right to reside, 5+ years in the UK, or 1+ year in the UK with £50,000 single or £75,000 joint income; otherwise up to 75%.
Nationwide: at least 12 months left on the visa (when your income is used). Up to 85% LTV with £50,000 single or £75,000 joint basic income, otherwise 75%. Needs a full 3-year UK address history.

Specialist / building societies (often more flexible)

Nottingham BS, Darlington BS, Hanley BS: no minimum time left on the visa, and no minimum time in the UK
Bank of Ireland, Vida, Generation Home: no minimum time left on the visa
Skipton BS: wants at least 12 months left on the visa

Stricter specialist routes

Kensington: without settled or pre-settled status, only for Tier 1/Tier 2 (Skilled Worker) visa holders with more than 2 years left on the visa, 2 years in the same job and income over £75,000, up to 70% LTV.

A broker with foreign national experience can help — they can check which lenders' criteria fit a specific visa + deposit + income combination. Going direct to one lender and being declined doesn't mean you can't get a mortgage; another lender's criteria may fit you better.

The acceptance list above is a starting point, not a ranking — what separates these lenders in practice is the maximum LTV each will go to without ILR, which is where the deposit difference bites. That spread is set out lender by lender in the visa mortgage LTV league table.

Typical Criteria

Visa remaining

This is the single most important filter. These counts cover the 50 lenders, of the 75 whose criteria we track, that accept Skilled Worker visas:

2+ years remaining: you meet every published minimum (Kensington's route without ILR asks for more than 2 years)
12-24 months remaining: still a wide choice, though a few want 18 to 24 months (TSB and Stafford 18, Kensington and Tipton 24)
Under 12 months remaining: 18 will still lend with 6 months or less left, including Halifax and NatWest

Practical implication: fewer lenders accept short remaining visa terms, so the closer your visa is to expiry, the narrower your choice. The exact months-remaining threshold differs by lender rather than following the bands above — the published figures are collected in this visa months-remaining league table.

UK residency time

3+ years in UK: widely accepted
2-3 years in UK: most mainstream lenders accept
Under 2 years in UK: 31 of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track will consider you
Under 12 months in UK: 17 lenders, including Halifax, HSBC, NatWest and Santander. Expect a lower LTV cap (75% at Halifax, NatWest and Santander without a permanent right to reside) or an income floor (HSBC wants one applicant earning £75,000+ or £100,000 joint, up to 85% LTV)

UK credit history

Lenders want a UK credit footprint. This means:

Registered on UK electoral roll (if eligible)
UK bank account used for at least 6-12 months
UK credit card or small loan taken and repaid
UK utility bills in your name

If you arrived recently and have no UK credit footprint, some lenders may still consider you with strong other factors. Nottingham BS, for example, lends up to 90% LTV with 2+ years of UK credit data or approved overseas credit data, and up to 75% LTV without.

Income

Usually assessed the same as a UK citizen:

3 months' UK payslips
Latest P60
Employment contract confirming visa sponsorship (if applicable)
Bank statements

Self-employed visa holders face more scrutiny because tax returns are the income evidence, and income from abroad adds complexity. Lenders differ widely. Some take employed foreign nationals only, and many count only income received in sterling. Skipton, for example, applies its usual two-year trading rule and needs £40,000 earned income (£60,000 joint), 1 year living in the UK and 1 year left on the visa.

Deposit source

Deposit from overseas needs source-of-funds documentation — typically 3-6 months of bank statements showing the funds. Anti-money-laundering checks are stricter for foreign-origin deposits. Allow extra time for verification.

By Visa Type

Skilled Worker visa (formerly Tier 2)

Widely accepted by mainstream lenders. Typical criteria:

A minimum time left on the visa: 18 lenders accept 6 months or less, while most of the rest want at least 12 months
A minimum time in the UK: 31 lenders consider under 2 years, and 17 consider under 1 year
UK bank account, UK employment
5-10% minimum deposit at some lenders with income and residency conditions; 15-25% otherwise
Standard income multiples: typically 4 to 4.5 times income, 5.5 to 6 times at some lenders, and 6.5 times or more on products for higher earners

Which lenders apply which of those thresholds — months remaining, residency time, and maximum LTV, with the dates each figure was verified — is documented lender by lender in this skilled worker visa mortgage guide.

Health & Care Worker visa

Lenders usually treat it the same as a Skilled Worker visa. HSBC, for example, lists Health & Care Worker as an accepted visa (up to 85% LTV without ILR), and NatWest applies its usual foreign-national limit (up to 75% LTV without a permanent right to reside). A few lenders have ranges for medical professionals, such as Principality's Thank you range, but check that the range also takes visa holders.

Spouse / partner visa

Often treated more flexibly because you're expected to transition to ILR after 5 years. Most lenders accept with:

Current visa valid
UK-resident spouse/partner on title and mortgage
Standard criteria otherwise

The UK spouse's income is usually the primary income assessed.

Global Talent visa

Generally well-accepted. These visa holders are high-earning specialists in research, arts, or tech — lenders see them as low-risk.

Innovator Founder / Scale-up visa

Mixed acceptance. Self-employed income from the business is trickier to evidence, so specialist lenders often handle these.

Student visa (formerly Tier 4)

Very limited options. Most lenders, including HSBC, Nationwide and TSB, don't accept a Student visa (formerly Tier 4) where the student's income is needed for the mortgage. A few, such as Gen H, review student-visa cases individually. A student can sometimes be a joint applicant whose income isn't used. For example, HSBC applies its standard criteria when the other applicant is a UK national or has settled or pre-settled status or ILR. HSBC doesn't offer guarantor mortgages. Most buyers in this position pay cash or wait until they switch to a work visa.

Pre-settled status (EU nationals)

Most mainstream lenders treat pre-settled status like settled status: Halifax, HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Nationwide and TSB all apply their standard criteria and LTV limits, up to 95%. You don't face the visa-holder restrictions above. You'll need to evidence your status with a gov.uk share code (and, at Nationwide, the original grant letter if you've applied for settled status). Some lenders still add conditions. Accord needs indefinite leave for lending above 90% LTV. Bank of Ireland caps pre-settled applicants at 75% LTV, or 90% with £75,000 sole / £100,000 joint income. West Brom uses its Foreign National products (up to 90% LTV, sole applications, 3 years in the UK). Time in the UK still matters at some lenders: Nationwide needs a full 3-year UK address history for every applicant, West Brom and Bank of Ireland normally want 3 years, and Coventry wants 2 years of UK residence and employment.

Investor / Ancestry visa

Typically well-accepted given financial criteria. HSBC Premier, Santander, NatWest all consider.

Deposit Requirements

Without ILR, your minimum deposit depends mostly on your income and how long you've lived in the UK:

5% deposit: Halifax after 1 year in the UK with £50,000 sole / £75,000 joint income; Hodge (Skilled Worker, Health & Care or Global Talent visa) and Principality (12+ months left on the visa, 2-year UK address history)
10% deposit: Barclays after 1 year in the UK; Skipton after 1 year in the UK with 1 year left on the visa and £40,000 sole / £60,000 joint income; Accord where one applicant earns £50,000; Santander after 1 year with £50,000 sole / £75,000 joint
15% deposit: HSBC (from your own savings), and Nationwide with £50,000 sole / £75,000 joint basic income
25% deposit: common below those income thresholds. Halifax, Santander, Nationwide and Accord cap at 75% LTV, and NatWest caps all applicants without a permanent right to reside at 75%
30%+ deposit: for unusual circumstances or student visas

These levels are for visa holders. If you have pre-settled status, the lenders named under Pre-settled status above use their standard deposits.

Larger deposits also unlock better rates — the difference between a 10% and 25% deposit can be 0.5-1% in rate.

Source of Funds

Deposits from abroad face enhanced scrutiny:

UK-saved deposit: easiest — 3-6 months of UK bank statements
Gifted deposit from family abroad: need bank records showing the source plus a gifted deposit letter. Some lenders don't accept overseas gifts; most specialists do.
Inherited deposit: need probate documentation, sometimes translated/legalised
Sale of overseas property: need sale documents, possibly translated, plus evidence of transfer to UK account
Savings from overseas employment: payslips, tax returns, bank statements showing accumulation

Evidence: lenders and solicitors must check where overseas money came from, however long it has been in the UK. Expect to show the original source (statements, sale or gift documents) and the transfer trail into your UK account, and allow extra time for those checks.

Typical Interest Rates

Mainstream lenders that accept visa holders generally offer their standard product range, but cap the LTV (HSBC 85%, NatWest and Halifax 75% without a permanent right to reside). Specialist lenders, which take shorter visas or recent arrivals, usually charge more. The gap narrows with a bigger deposit and once you get ILR.

The Path to ILR

Most visa holders currently become eligible for ILR after 5 years of continuous UK residence. The government has proposed raising the standard qualifying period to 10 years for many routes (partners of British citizens would stay at 5 years). That change is not yet in force, so check the current rules on gov.uk before planning around a date. Once ILR is granted, you move into the "UK resident" category and mainstream lenders treat you like any UK citizen — full product range, standard rates, no visa-length concerns.

Practical implication: if you're 3-4 years into a 5-year visa, you might:

Buy now on a higher-deposit, slightly-higher-rate product
Wait 1-2 years for ILR, then buy with better rates

The right choice depends on the housing market, interest rates, and your circumstances. A broker can model both.

Getting Ready to Apply

6-12 months before

Open a UK bank account if you haven't
Register on the electoral roll (if eligible)
Get a UK credit card and use it responsibly
Save deposit in a UK account with clear paper trail

3-6 months before

Gather evidence of where your deposit came from, including any transfers from abroad
Check your credit report (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, or CheckMyFile)
Correct any errors, especially address history
Expect lenders to review your recent bank statements, including any gambling transactions or returned direct debits

1 month before

Gather documents: passport, eVisa share code (eVisas have replaced the Biometric Residence Permit), visa confirmation, payslips, P60, bank statements
Speak to a broker experienced with foreign national mortgages
Get a Decision in Principle from the right lender

Where a Broker Can Help

Going direct to a lender can suit straightforward cases. For foreign national mortgages, a broker can help because:

Criteria vary wildly by lender. Same applicant can be declined by 5 lenders and approved by the 6th.
Some specialist lenders are broker-only. Some lenders that accept foreign nationals only take applications through intermediaries.
Criteria change frequently. What worked 12 months ago may not work now, so check current criteria before applying.
Avoid wasted credit searches. Every direct application leaves a footprint. A broker can check criteria before an application is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a UK mortgage on a Skilled Worker visa?

Yes. Of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track, 50 accept Skilled Worker visa holders, including Barclays, Halifax, HSBC, Nationwide, NatWest and Santander, usually with a lower maximum LTV than for UK citizens. Their minimums differ: 18 will lend with 6 months or less left on the visa, while most of the rest want at least 12 months. Typical deposit requirement: 10-25% depending on income and time in the UK (5% at a few lenders).

How much deposit do I need as a foreign national?

It depends mostly on your income and time in the UK. With about £50,000+ income and a year in the UK, several mainstream lenders go to 90% LTV (a 10% deposit), and Halifax, Hodge and Principality to 95%. Below that, 25% is common: Halifax, Santander, Nationwide and Accord cap at 75% LTV. Larger deposits unlock better rates and wider lender choice. Deposit source must be evidenced with 3-6 months of bank statements.

What if my visa expires in less than a year?

Options narrow but aren't zero. 18 of the 50 lenders that accept Skilled Worker visas will still lend with 6 months or less left, including Halifax and NatWest. Some lenders want a bigger deposit in this situation.

Can I get a mortgage before getting ILR?

Yes, through a range of lenders including HSBC, NatWest, Santander, Skipton BS, and specialist lenders. ILR isn't a requirement at most lenders — visa length, UK residency time, and income are the key filters.

Is the interest rate higher for visa holders?

Usually not at mainstream lenders: those that accept visa holders generally offer their standard product range but cap the LTV (HSBC 85%, NatWest and Halifax 75% without a permanent right to reside). Specialist lenders, which take shorter visas or recent arrivals, usually charge more. The gap narrows with a bigger deposit and once you get ILR.

Can I use money from overseas for my deposit?

Yes, but with source-of-funds documentation (3-6 months of bank statements showing the money), any applicable gift letters, and sometimes translation of overseas documents. Lenders and solicitors check the source of overseas funds however long they have been in the UK, so allow time to gather the evidence, including the transfer trail into your UK account.

Can I get a mortgage on a student visa?

Do I need a UK guarantor?

Usually no. Most foreign national mortgages don't require a UK guarantor — your own visa status, income, and deposit are sufficient. Some specialist products (especially for students or those with very short visas) may offer guarantor structures, but these are niche.

Reviewed by Phillip Wakeling-Smith (CeMAP) — Mortgage Adviser. About the author.

Last reviewed: October 2026