Can A Temporary Resident Get A Home Loan In Australia?

How Much Can A Temporary Resident Borrow?

Some temporary residents can borrow up to 80% of the property value, while eligible borrowers may be able to borrow at a higher Loan-To-Value ratio (LVR) with certain lenders.

Your maximum LVR can depend on your visa type, how long you have remaining on your visa, your employment and income, and whether you’re applying with an Australian citizen or permanent resident. As a general guide:

• Up to 80% LVR: This is a common starting point for temporary-resident applications and can provide access to a wider range of lender options.
• Up to 90% LVR: Some temporary visa holders may qualify with selected lenders, particularly where the visa, employment, income and overall application are strong.
• Up to 95% LVR: Higher LVR options may be available in some mixed-residency applications, such as where a temporary resident applies with an Australian citizen or permanent resident. This is lender- and circumstance-dependent and is not automatically available to every couple.

When assessing a temporary resident home loan in Australia, lenders generally look at your visa type, work rights, visa expiry date, employment and income, borrowing capacity, deposit and loan-to-value ratio (LVR).

Which Temporary Visas Can Lenders Consider For A Home Loan?

Australian lenders can consider home-loan applications from people on a range of temporary visas. Common examples include subclass 482, 485, 491, 494, 309 and 820 visas, although acceptance varies between lenders.

Temporary visas that may be considered include:

• Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482): An employer-sponsored temporary work visa. Some lenders accept eligible 482 visa holders for home loans.
• Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485): Some lenders consider eligible graduates who are living and working in Australia.
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491): A provisional skilled visa for people living and working in regional Australia.
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494): An employer-sponsored provisional visa for skilled workers in regional Australia.
• Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309): A temporary partner visa for the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
• Partner visa (Temporary) (subclass 820): An onshore temporary partner visa that can provide different lending options from other temporary visas.

These are examples, not a complete list. Other temporary visa holders may also be considered depending on the lender and their circumstances.

Can I Get A Home Loan On A 482 Visa?

Yes, some eligible subclass 482 visa holders can get an Australian home loan.

The current subclass 482 program is the Skills in Demand (SID) visa. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024, so older mortgage information referring to TSS short-term and medium-term streams may no longer reflect the current visa program.

For a 482 applicant, lenders may consider the remaining visa term, employment and sponsor arrangements, income, deposit, requested LVR and overall servicing position.

Holding a 482 visa does not by itself determine a maximum LVR or guarantee approval.

Does Your Visa Type Affect Home Loan Approval?

Yes. Your visa type and work rights can affect whether a lender will approve a home loan and how much you may be able to borrow.

The lender needs to confirm that:

• Your visa subclass is acceptable under its current lending policy
• You have the right to work in Australia where employment income is being used
• Your visa conditions are consistent with the income being used for the loan

Some skilled, graduate, partner and regional temporary visas can be considered for Australian home loans.

However, there is no single list of temporary visas accepted by every lender. A lender may accept a particular visa but impose a lower maximum LVR or different income requirements.

Visa programs and lender policies also change, so older lists of “accepted visas” should not be treated as definitive.

Does Visa Expiry Affect Home Loan Approval?

Yes. The amount of time remaining on your temporary visa can affect your home-loan options.

There is no Australia-wide lending rule requiring every temporary resident to have six or 12 months remaining on their visa.

Instead, lender policies vary. Some lenders require a minimum remaining visa term, while others assess factors such as:

• Your visa type
• Employment stability
• Expected visa renewal or change
• Pathway to permanent residency, where relevant
• Overall strength of the home-loan application

If your visa is close to expiry, an extension is pending or your visa is expected to change during the application, tell your broker or lender before applying.

A change in visa status may require the lender to reassess your home loan application.

How Do Lenders Assess A Temporary Resident's Income And Borrowing Capacity?

Lenders assess whether your income is acceptable, verifiable and sufficient to repay the proposed home loan.

Stable Australian employment can provide more lender options because the income is generally easier to verify, but temporary residents are not necessarily limited to standard PAYG salary.

Depending on lender policy, assessable income may include:

• Base PAYG salary
• Regular overtime
• Allowances
• Bonuses
• Part-time or variable-hours income
• Contract or probationary employment income
• Rental income
• Other acceptable income
• Foreign income, where accepted by the lender

A high salary does not automatically mean you will have a high borrowing capacity.

Lenders also assess your:

• Living expenses
• Dependants
• Existing home loans and personal loans
• Credit-card limits
• Other financial commitments
• Proposed loan repayments at the lender’s assessment rate

This is why two temporary residents earning the same income may have different borrowing capacities.

How Much Deposit Does A Temporary Resident Need For A Home Loan?

A 20% deposit plus purchase costs is a useful starting point for many temporary residents, as an 80% LVR can provide access to more lender options.

However, the deposit you actually need depends on your visa, lender and overall application.

As a general guide:

• 20% deposit: A common starting point for eligible temporary residents borrowing up to 80% of the property value.
• 10% deposit: Some temporary visa holders may qualify to borrow up to 90% with selected lenders, depending on their visa, income, employment and overall financial position.
• 5% deposit: Higher-LVR lending may be available in some circumstances, including certain applications involving an Australian citizen or permanent-resident co-borrower. It is not automatically available simply because your partner is Australian or a permanent resident.
• 20-30% deposit: Some temporary residents may need a larger deposit where fewer lenders accept their visa or circumstances.

You will generally also need enough funds to cover costs such as stamp duty, legal fees and, where applicable, foreign-buyer surcharges or foreign investment fees. These costs are usually separate from your deposit.

Before setting your property budget, check the maximum LVR available for your exact visa and applicant structure, as temporary-resident lending policies vary significantly between lenders.

Can Foreign Income Be Used For A Temporary Resident Home Loan?

Yes, some Australian lenders accept foreign income when assessing a temporary resident home loan, but not every lender will use it and the amount they accept can vary.

How a lender assesses foreign income can depend on:

• The country the income is earned in
• The currency you are paid in
• Whether you are employed, self-employed or receive another type of income
• How easily the income can be verified
• The documents available
• The lender’s method for converting and assessing the income

Some lenders apply a reduction, or “shading”, to foreign income rather than using 100% of it. This can allow for factors such as exchange-rate movements, tax and other lending risks.

For example, earning the equivalent of $100,000 in foreign currency does not necessarily mean a lender will use the full $100,000 when calculating your borrowing capacity.

What Documents Can A Lender Ask For When Applying For A Temporary Resident Home Loan?

Temporary residents generally need to provide documents confirming their identity, visa status, income, employment, deposit and existing financial commitments. The exact documents required depend on the lender and the applicant’s circumstances.

A lender may ask for:

• Passport and identification documents
• Current visa details and evidence of visa conditions
• Recent payslips
• Employment contract or employer letter
• Bank statements showing salary credits
• Evidence of savings and your home-loan deposit
• Statements for existing loans, credit cards or other liabilities
• Evidence of an Australian citizen or permanent-resident co-applicant’s status, where relevant
• Additional documents to verify foreign, variable or non-standard income

If foreign income is being used, additional evidence may be required so the lender can verify the source, amount, currency and consistency of the income.

The exact document requested often depends on what the lender needs to establish rather than on a fixed checklist.

For example, Home Loan Experts assisted an application involving a permanent resident and a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa holder whose part-time working hours varied.

The payslips alone did not give the lender enough certainty about the temporary resident’s ongoing income. An employer letter confirming the applicant’s minimum monthly hours, pay rate and ongoing employment helped provide the additional evidence the lender needed.

What If I Am Buying With An Australian Citizen Or Permanent Resident?

Applying with an Australian citizen or permanent resident can improve your home loan options because some lenders have more flexible policies for mixed-residency couples.

It can affect the lender’s:

• Acceptable applicant structure
• Maximum LVR
• Treatment of both applicants’ income
• Documentation requirements.

It does not automatically remove every foreign investment or state tax issue.

In March 2026, Home Loan Experts published a case involving a permanent resident and a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa holder seeking pre-approval in Western Australia.

The couple wanted a $558,000 loan against a planned $745,000 purchase, an LVR of 75%.

The challenge was not simply whether lenders “accepted a 485 visa”. Some lenders would not assess the PR/temporary-resident combination jointly, some would not use the temporary resident’s income as required, and the applicants also needed a lender that accepted their proposed loan and title structure.

The broker matched the couple with a lender that accepted the visa combination and structure, then strengthened the income evidence with an employer letter. The application received pre-approval.

That case illustrates an important point: the lender that accepts the visa is only the first filter. The rest of the application still has to fit.

Lending policies can change, so a past approval is not a guarantee that the same structure is available today.

Can A Temporary Resident Buy An Established Home?

No, temporary residents cannot buy an established property in Australia.

Under current federal foreign investment guidance, temporary residents are generally treated as foreign investors.

From 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029, foreign investors are generally prohibited from purchasing established dwellings, although limited exceptions apply.

This makes older advice stating that a temporary resident can normally purchase one established home as their principal place of residence outdated for the current restriction period.

What Property Can A Temporary Resident Buy?

Depending on the circumstances and foreign investment requirements, a temporary resident may be able to purchase:

• A new or near-new dwelling
• A new property bought from a developer
• Vacant residential land for development.

Vacant land approvals generally include development conditions, including completing construction within the required period. Current Treasury guidance states that construction will generally need to be completed within four years.

Limited exceptions to the established-dwelling restriction also exist, so obtain advice for the actual property rather than assuming the general rule settles every case.

Do Temporary Residents Need FIRB Approval?

Yes, temporary residents will need FIRB approval when buying property in Australia.

Temporary residents are generally foreign persons under Australia’s foreign investment framework and will usually need to follow the residential foreign investment process unless an exemption applies.

One important exemption applies where a person purchases as a joint tenant with their Australian spouse, an Australian permanent resident spouse, or a qualifying New Zealand citizen spouse.

Do not assume that every purchase with a citizen or permanent-resident partner qualifies. The ownership structure and relationship matter.

Foreign investment rules can also change, so check the current government guidance and obtain legal advice before entering into an unconditional contract.

Do Foreign Buyer Taxes Still Apply If My Partner Is Australian?

Yes, foreign buyer taxes can still apply even if your spouse or partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Whether you have to pay a foreign-purchaser stamp-duty surcharge or other foreign-owner taxes depends on the rules in the state or territory where you buy, your visa or residency status, how the property is owned and whether an exemption applies.

The rules are not the same across Australia.

For example:

• In New South Wales, many temporary visa holders are treated as foreign persons for surcharge purchaser duty purposes. Buying with an Australian citizen or permanent resident partner does not automatically remove the surcharge. Some visa holders, including eligible subclass 309 and 820 partner visa holders, may qualify for different treatment if they meet the applicable residence requirements.
• In Victoria, a foreign purchaser buying a principal place of residence with a spouse or partner who is not a foreign purchaser may qualify for an exemption from foreign purchaser additional duty if the relevant residence requirements are met.

This is separate from foreign investment approval. Under the federal foreign investment rules, an individual purchasing residential property as a joint tenant with an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident spouse is generally exempt from the requirement to lodge a residential foreign investment application. That exemption does not extend to purchases as tenants in common.

So, an exemption from foreign investment approval does not automatically mean you are exempt from foreign buyer stamp duty or other state taxes.

Before deciding how to structure the purchase, check the current rules with the relevant state revenue authority and have your solicitor, conveyancer or tax adviser confirm how they apply to your circumstances.

Buying A Home in Australia As A Non-Resident

Everything you need to know as a non-resident buying a property in Australia.

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How Can I Improve A Temporary Resident Home Loan Application?

The most useful improvements are specific to the reason your options are restricted.

• Check your exact visa before applying. Confirm the subclass, expiry date and any relevant work conditions rather than relying on the broad description “temporary resident”.
• Set the LVR before choosing a lender. If increasing your deposit is realistic, a lower LVR can open lenders that would not accept a higher-risk application.
• Deal with a short remaining visa term early. Find out which lenders can consider the actual remaining period rather than submitting an application and hoping it will be accepted.
• Make variable income easy to verify. Payslips may not tell the whole story if your hours vary. Depending on the lender, an employment contract or employer letter may help establish ongoing hours, salary or employment status.
• Check how the lender treats foreign income before relying on it. Currency and verification rules can materially alter usable income.
• Review liabilities and credit limits. Existing loans and unused credit-card limits can reduce borrowing power because lenders include them in servicing calculations.
• Confirm property-purchase eligibility separately. Do not rely on a home-loan pre-approval as evidence that the property itself is permitted under foreign investment rules.
• Match the lender before lodging the application. For a temporary resident, policy fit normally matters more than choosing a bank based on its headline interest rate.

Should I Wait Until I Have Permanent Residency?

Sometimes waiting for permanent residency can improve your position, but it is not automatically the right decision.

Australian permanent residents do not require a residential foreign investment application under the federal exemption. Permanent residency can also widen home-loan options with lenders.

However, do not assume permanent residency immediately removes every state foreign-buyer surcharge. State tax legislation has its own residence tests. In NSW, for example, permanent residency and the relevant physical-residence requirements can both matter when determining whether someone is a foreign person for surcharge purchaser duty.

Check Your Temporary Resident Loan Options Before You Apply

Temporary resident lending depends on a combination of your visa, remaining visa term, income, deposit, co-borrower, and property, rather than on a single rule that applies to everyone.

Home Loan Experts can assess the lending side of your situation and compare lenders that currently accept your circumstances before an application is lodged. Call us on 1300 889 743 (+61 2 9194 1700 for callers outside Australia) or fill in our free online assessment form.