Residency & Visa
UK Mortgages for Visa Holders and Foreign Nationals
Of the 75 lenders whose residency criteria we track, 50 publish criteria that may consider a Skilled Worker visa holder. Lenders vary on which visas they accept, how long applicants must have been resident, and whether foreign-currency income counts, so picking one whose criteria match your position can help you avoid a wasted credit search.
Residency questions
Skilled Worker visa applicants
50 lenders consider Skilled Worker visa holders. Time left on the visa matters most.
Read the answerSpouse or partner visa
46 lenders consider spouse and partner visa holders, often alongside a British or settled joint applicant.
Read the answerPre-settled or settled status
EU / EEA applicants under the Settlement Scheme — settled status is usually treated like UK residency, pre-settled status more cautiously.
Read the answerLess than 2 years in the UK
Many lenders require 2+ years UK residency. See the ones who don't.
Read the answerLess than 1 year in the UK
Most lenders want a year or more in the UK. 17 may not, including Nottingham BS, Darlington BS, Halifax and HSBC, with caveats.
Read the answerUkraine scheme visa holders
Ukraine Family Scheme, Homes for Ukraine and Permission Extension leave is time-limited, so the months-remaining and time-in-UK rules apply.
Read the answerCan I get a UK mortgage on a visa or as a foreign national?
It can be possible. Published criteria from 50 of the 75 lenders we track indicate they may consider a Skilled Worker visa, and 46 a spouse or partner visa. Many also consider Health & Care Worker, Ancestry, BN(O) and Graduate visas, and EU settled and pre-settled status. The lender pool varies by visa type and how long the visa has left to run. The big factors are time in the UK, time left on the visa, whether income is in sterling or a foreign currency, and whether you have a UK credit footprint.
It isn't only specialists. Halifax, HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Santander and Metro Bank all publish criteria that consider a Skilled Worker visa, and Halifax and NatWest may consider it with 6 months or less left. Halifax, HSBC, NatWest and Santander may also consider someone who has been in the UK for less than a year, usually at a lower maximum LTV. Others on that 17-lender list include Nottingham BS, Darlington BS, Hodge and Norton.
How much UK residency do I need for a mortgage?
10 lenders set no minimum time in the UK at all, including Nottingham BS, Darlington BS, Halifax, NatWest and Santander. Others want 6, 12 or 18 months. In all, 31 of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track may consider you with less than 2 years in the UK. Most of the rest want 2 to 3 years of UK address history. Once you have permanent residence, or around 5 years in the UK, most lenders assess you like any UK resident.
Will lenders accept foreign-currency income?
18 of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track publish a policy that accepts foreign-currency income, but 7 of them only in narrow cases: Dudley, Hanley, Marsden and Tipton only on their expat ranges, Scottish BS only for borrowers employed overseas, Family BS only on interest-only mortgages, and Progressive only in Northern Ireland. If you live and work in the UK and are paid in another currency, lenders that publish a policy for you include Halifax, HSBC, NatWest, Santander and Gatehouse, and building societies such as Darlington, Market Harborough, Newbury, Penrith and Suffolk. Major currencies such as USD, EUR and AED are the most widely accepted, and less-common currencies are often declined. Most lenders apply a currency haircut of 10-30% (counting 70-90% of the converted salary) to absorb exchange-rate risk, though NatWest and Newbury use 100% of the converted income. Some cap the LTV at 75-80% for foreign-currency cases.
If you're paid in a currency other than sterling, exchange-rate changes can make your monthly repayments and the amount you owe cost more in your own currency.
What about EU pre-settled and settled status?
Most lenders treat settled status much like UK citizenship, so you're assessed on their standard income, deposit and credit criteria. Many lenders treat pre-settled status the same way: Halifax, HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Santander and TSB apply their standard criteria. Others add conditions. Some want time in the UK first: Kensington and Aldermore 2 years, Coventry 2 years' residence and employment, Leeds usually 2 years, and Nationwide, Virgin Money, Co-op and West Brom a 3-year UK history. Some cap the LTV: Accord at 90%, West Brom at 90% on its Foreign National range, and Bank of Ireland at 75%, or 90% with £75,000 sole / £100,000 joint income. A few, including Teachers BS, Bluestone, LendInvest and LG Home Finance, need settled status or indefinite leave. In all, 56 of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track may consider pre-settled status.
What lenders look at
Four residency factors move the UK lender pool most:
- Visa type and months remaining — Skilled Worker, Spouse, Health & Care, Graduate all have different acceptance patterns. Lenders' minimum time left on the visa ranges from none at all to several years.
- UK residency length — 2 years in the UK is a common threshold. 31 of the 75 lenders whose criteria we track accept less.
- Income currency — sterling income is the standard case. Foreign-currency income is accepted by 18 of the 75 lenders we track, several only on expat or interest-only terms.
- Thin UK credit file — overseas credit history rarely transfers. A thin UK file often narrows the pool more than the visa itself.
See what the 57 lenders we check could lend you
See estimated maximum borrowing from the 57 lenders we check. No credit search, completely free. The check doesn't ask about your visa or how long you've lived in the UK, so before you apply, compare your results with the lender lists in the residency questions above.
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