This page is for people who have recently moved to Australia or who will be migrating to Australia in the near future and would like to know more about how to apply for an Australian home loan.
Financing your new home
New migrants to Australia are often unsure of how to go about financing the purchase of their home in Australia.
The amount you can borrow depends on your residency and visa status with the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection:
- More info for Australian permanent residents (PR)
- More info for New Zealand citizens
- More info for foreign citizens on a work visa including a 457 visa, 494 visa or TSS visa.
- More info for foreign citizens on a temporary visa / spouse visa
Australia is different!
Even migrants from the USA and UK are quite shocked to find how different applying for a home loan in Australia is.
Although culturally we are quite similar, our banks are more conservative and disorganised than those in other first world countries.
Expect your loan application to take longer and for more documents to be required than for a loan application overseas.
What loans are available?
There are several lenders with specific new immigrant mortgage products, known as “non-residents loans,” which allow you to borrow up to 80% of the property value and in some cases even up to 95%.
Our mortgage brokers specialise in helping new immigrants to apply for a home loan to buy a property in Australia.
Please call us on 1300 889 743 or enquire online to find out how we can help.
What is the qualifying criteria?
The assessment criteria for an Australian mortgage are incredibly complex and vary significantly between lenders. However as a general rule, lenders look at several aspects of your loan application:
- Serviceability: Your ability to repay the proposed debt based on your current income, living expenses and the repayments of any other current debts.
- Foreign currency: Only a handful of currencies are accepted by the bank and those that are will see your income “shaded” when the bank assesses your income position.
- Security: The value and saleability of the property that you are giving to the bank as security for your loan. In most cases this is the property that you are buying.
- Credit history: Your credit history in Australia (see below for information about your overseas credit history).
- Employment: The stability of your employment, the industry that you work in and your history of work in that industry, both in Australia and overseas.
- Visa status: The type of visa that you are on, the conditions of your visa, and the implications this has on your ability to remain in Australia and repay your loan.
- Asset position: Your assets and liabilities are assessed and compared to your level of income and age.
The Australian property market and financial system work quite differently to most countries so it is essential that you seek the assistance of a good mortgage broker and a conveyancer.
What if I have bad credit overseas?
We are often asked by US citizens if their credit history in the USA can be accessed by Australian lenders.
Although there are a few exceptions, in most cases Australian lenders cannot access your overseas credit history. Some lenders may ask for evidence of your overseas liabilities and bank accounts so that they can see the way that you manage your money.
Can I still get approval?
In most cases there is no need for you to build a credit history in Australia prior to applying for a home loan.
That being said if you apply for too many loans in a short period of time then this will damage your credit score with many lenders.
This includes applications for home loans, credit cards, personal loans and other forms of credit.
Naturally, any negative or bad credit history that you have obtained in Australia will be visible to, and assessed by the Australian banks.
We recommend that you pay all of your bills and debts on time, every time, to ensure that you do not have this problem.
Can I get good interest rates?
Whilst some lenders have stricter lending criteria and offer expensive interest rates, we know of major banks that offer great rates and competitive loan packages.
If you are a recent immigrant to Australia or are thinking of migrating and would like to get a loan with cheap interest rates please call us on 1300 889 743 (+61 2 9194 1700 from outside of Australia) or enquire online and we can help you get approval.
Who migrates to Australia?
Net Overseas Migration (NOM) in Australia is made up of natural birth,s plus new migrants, less people leaving Australia.
In recent years this figure has varied between 180,000 people per annum to 315,000 people per annum, largely due to fluctuations in the number of arrivals.
Around 29% of the arrivals are people intending to move to Australia permanently, 65% are temporary residents such as international students, 457 visa migrant workers and people on a working holiday, while 6% are Australians returning from living abroad and New Zealand citizens emigrating to Australia.
Apply for an immigrant mortgage
Before applying for your loan you should read our buyer’s guide page and the relevant page for your residency status (e.g. temporary resident, permanent resident, foreign citizen living overseas or Australian citizen returning to Australia).
Once you have determined that you may be qualified for a loan then enquire online or contact us via phone on 1300 889 743 or +61 2 9194 1700 from outside Australia between 9am and 5pm Sydney time (GMT +10) and one of our consultants will discuss the various options with you.
Please note that we work with customers located anywhere in the world, as long as the property being used as security is located in Australia.