If you’re working in the US legally, you can buy a house here. Most lenders will do an H1B mortgage — I know them inside and out.
H1B, L1, O1, EAD, and green card holders qualify for the same conventional mortgages US citizens use, from the same lenders, at the same rates. The documentation is slightly different. The math isn’t. Most of my visa-holder clients close in 30 days at the same pricing as anyone else — because at the underwriting level, your visa isn’t the variable that drives the loan. Your credit, income, and employment history are.
Conventional financing. Same rates. Same process. Slightly more paperwork.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the two entities that back the majority of US mortgages — explicitly permit lending to non-permanent residents on work visas. That means H1B, L1, O1, TN, and EAD holders qualify for the same conventional loans that citizens use, with the same pricing tiers tied to the same factors: credit score, down payment, debt-to-income, loan amount.
The differences come down to documentation, not eligibility. Here’s what actually matters:
Valid work authorization. Your H1B I-797 approval notice, EAD card, or green card. Whatever proves you’re legally authorized to work in the US for the foreseeable future.
US credit history. Conventional lenders want to see a US FICO score. The standard floor is 620, but pricing improves at 680, 700, 720, and 740+. Most H1B borrowers I work with have spent 2-5+ years building US credit and are in the 700+ tier by the time they’re buying.
Two years of employment history. The standard is a two-year work history — and it doesn’t have to be two years in the US. Employment before you arrived, in your home country or anywhere else, counts toward the 24 months when it’s documented. W-2 employment in the same field is the cleanest case, and job changes within the same field don’t usually create issues. A gap between visa transitions can — we’ll work through it if relevant to your situation.
Stable income, documented. Recent pay stubs, two years of W-2s, two years of tax returns. The standard package. If you’re at a public tech company with vested RSUs, two years of consistent vesting can be averaged into your qualifying income as well — not the common case, but worth documenting when it applies.
Down payment and reserves. Same conventional minimums as anyone else — 3% for first-time buyers, 5% standard, 20% to avoid PMI. Down payment funds can come from US accounts, gift funds from family (with documentation), or seasoned overseas accounts (with extra documentation).
That’s the complete picture. There’s no “visa-holder mortgage program” with worse rates. There’s no special “foreign national” loan you have to take. If a lender suggests otherwise, you’re probably talking to the wrong lender.
When to extend your visa relative to when to apply for the mortgage.
This is where lenders get cautious, and where a little planning saves you weeks. What a lender actually needs to see is a reasonable expectation that your work authorization will continue — not a fixed number of months left on the card. That expectation is established two ways: an extension that’s already been filed, or a history of having been extended before, which your I-797 itself documents.
The practical version: if your current I-797 reflects a previously granted extension, that record of continuance generally carries the file — even with limited time remaining. If you’re approaching expiration and haven’t been extended before, filing the extension first is the clean move; the I-797C receipt notice from USCIS is usually enough to satisfy a lender once you’ve filed. The “12 months remaining” figure some lenders quote is a lender-level overlay, not a universal requirement — the right lender looks at continuance, not just the calendar.
A few specific scenarios:
H1B extension in process, receipt notice in hand: Most lenders accept this. We’ll document the filing and move forward.
H1B-to-green-card transition (I-140 approved, I-485 pending): This is generally a positive signal for lenders. Your path to permanent residency is clearly established. Some lenders treat I-485 pendency as functionally equivalent to permanent residency for underwriting purposes.
EAD holder (often I-485 spouse, OPT, or H4 with EAD): The EAD card itself is the work authorization document. The validity dates on it matter the same way an H1B I-797 does — and the same continuance logic applies: a prior renewal or a filed extension carries more weight than the raw months left.
Green card holder (permanent resident): Functionally identical to a citizen for mortgage purposes. No special documentation beyond the green card itself.
The conversation worth having early: where are you in your visa or green card timeline, and what’s the next milestone? That answer often tells me which lender to go to and whether to wait two months for a better setup.
When buying makes sense — and when it doesn’t.
Most of my H1B and visa-holder clients are professionals in stable industries with strong credit, multi-year US tenure, and a clear path forward. For them, buying a home in the US is a sound financial decision, and the visa status doesn’t change that calculus much.
But it’s worth being honest about the situations where the math gets harder:
If your industry is in a layoff cycle, the visa-status overlay matters more than it does for a citizen. A laid-off H1B worker has a 60-day grace period to find new sponsored employment or change status — a hard timeline that doesn’t exist for citizens. If you’re in a sector going through reorganization right now, that uncertainty is worth weighing before you commit to a 30-year mortgage. Sometimes the right answer is to wait six months and see where things land.
If you’re considering a job change soon, mortgage timing and employment timing interact. Lenders verify employment at multiple points — application, closing, and sometimes after. A job change between application and close can complicate the loan, even when the new job is better. Wait until the new role is established (90+ days), then apply.
If you may relocate internationally within a few years, owning becomes less attractive. You can rent the property out or sell — both are legal options regardless of where you live. But selling as a non-resident triggers FIRPTA withholding (15% of sale price held back by the IRS until your tax situation is resolved), and managing a US rental from overseas adds complexity. None of this is a deal-breaker, but it’s worth thinking through.
If your down payment would zero out your savings, the same rule applies that I apply to every borrower: you can’t afford this house. Visa status doesn’t change the math on cash reserves — three to six months of housing payment in liquid savings, after closing, is the minimum. If that means buying a smaller house or waiting a year, that’s the honest answer. The affordability calculator will show you the ceiling a lender would allow; the number you should actually buy at usually sits a step below it.
For most H1B professionals I work with, the answer to “should I buy” is “yes, and here’s how to do it well.” Sometimes it’s “wait.” I’ll tell you which one applies to you, not what gets the deal closed faster.
The questions H1B and visa holders actually ask.
Can H1B holders get a mortgage in the US?
Yes. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both explicitly permit conventional lending to non-permanent residents with valid work authorization. H1B, L1, O1, TN, EAD, and green card holders all qualify. The rates and pricing are the same as for citizens with comparable credit and income — there’s no “visa-holder mortgage” with a different rate structure.
Can H1B holders get an FHA loan?
Not since May 2025. A federal rule limited FHA-insured loans to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, so H1B and other non-permanent residents are no longer eligible. For most strong-file visa holders this changes little — conventional financing at standard pricing was usually the better loan anyway. Here’s the full breakdown of what changed and who it actually affects.
How do I apply for a mortgage on an H1B visa?
The same way anyone else does — pre-approval, documents, underwriting, and closing, usually in about 30 days. The only real difference is one extra document step for your work authorization, and your visa status only gets evaluated at underwriting, not throughout. Here’s the full step-by-step walkthrough.
What credit score do I need?
Conventional loans require a minimum of 620. Pricing tiers improve at 680, 700, 720, and 740+. Most of my visa-holder clients are in the 700+ range by the time they’re buying. Below 700, the rate difference can be significant — sometimes worth waiting a few months to improve your score before applying.
Do H1B borrowers pay higher mortgage rates?
No. There’s no visa surcharge. Your rate is driven by credit score, down payment, loan type, and loan amount — the same factors as any conventional borrower. If you’ve been quoted a higher rate because of your visa, you’re usually looking at retail markup or the wrong loan product. Here’s what actually moves your rate.
How long do I need to have lived in the US?
There’s no minimum US residency requirement. What lenders look for is a two-year employment history and a US credit history (typically 2+ years of established credit). The employment history doesn’t have to be entirely in the US — work in your home country or elsewhere before you arrived can count toward the 24 months when it’s documented. The US credit file is usually the bigger factor for newer arrivals; if yours is thin, we’d look at how to document it or at portfolio options.
How much remaining time on my visa do I need?
There’s no hard 12-month rule. What a lender needs is a reasonable expectation that your authorization will continue — established either by an extension you’ve already filed (the I-797C receipt notice) or by a history of having been extended before, which your I-797 itself shows. If your current I-797 reflects a previously granted extension, that record of continuance generally carries the file even with limited time left. The “12 months remaining” some lenders quote is an overlay, not a universal requirement. Here’s the full breakdown on visa timing.
Can my RSU income count toward qualifying?
Yes, if you have a two-year vesting history. RSU income that’s vested consistently for 24 months can be averaged into your qualifying income, which can raise your loan amount. It’s not the common case — most borrowers qualify on base salary alone — but if you’re at a public tech company with substantial vested RSUs, it’s worth documenting, and many retail lenders don’t bother.
Can my H4 spouse’s income count?
Only if they have an EAD. H4 visa holders without work authorization can’t have their income counted toward qualifying — they’re not legally permitted to earn US income. H4 holders with an EAD card (often available to spouses of H1B holders with approved I-140s) can be counted as a co-borrower with their own qualifying income. Here’s how H4 spouse income works in detail.
What documents will I need to provide?
Beyond the standard mortgage package (pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, bank statements): current I-797 approval notice or EAD card, passport with visa stamp, and sometimes an employer letter confirming continued sponsorship. For green card holders, the physical green card or I-485 approval notice. Nothing exotic — just one extra document set beyond what citizens provide.
What happens to my mortgage if I lose my job or have to leave the US?
The mortgage obligation continues regardless of your immigration status — that’s worth understanding upfront. If you must leave the US, you have practical options: rent the property out, sell it, or continue paying from abroad. Selling as a non-resident triggers FIRPTA (15% of sale price withheld by the IRS until tax situation is resolved, then refunded). None of this is a disaster, but it’s why I recommend conservative reserves — three to six months of full housing payment in liquid savings, after closing, minimum.
Can I use down payment funds from overseas?
Yes, with documentation. Funds transferred from overseas accounts to a US account need to be seasoned (typically 60+ days in the US account before closing) and the source of funds needs to be documented. Gift funds from family abroad work the same way — a gift letter, source documentation, and a paper trail. Plan the transfer timing early. Funds that arrive a week before closing create headaches that funds arriving 90 days early don’t.
How long does the process take for a visa-holder borrower?
Same as any other conventional loan. My standard close target is 30 days from contract to closing. Florida and Texas can sometimes do 25 days. Pennsylvania runs 30-35 due to how PA handles title and recording. Visa status doesn’t materially change the timeline when documentation is in order.
Let’s look at your scenario — visa, income, and what house actually makes sense.
Two ways to start. Talk it through with me first if you’d rather have a conversation about timing — visa, job, and where you are in your US tenure. Or send me your scenario and I’ll come back with actual pre-approval numbers. No teaser rates. No funnels.
Talk First
Text or email with whatever’s on your mind — a house you’re considering, questions about visa timing, or where you stand. I’ll respond within one business day. No pressure.
Or Get a Real Quote
Tell me your scenario — visa status, target purchase price, base salary, RSU history if any, FICO range, your state — and I’ll come back with actual numbers. No teaser rates, no credit pull until you say so.
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