Skilled Worker Visa Mortgage
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Skilled Worker Visa Mortgage (Part 1)
Mark Davis explains how the mortgage process works if you’re on a skilled worker visa. Episode one of two, recorded in February 2025.
Can I get a mortgage in the UK on a skilled worker visa?
Yes – there are certain criteria around it, as with all mortgages, but there are no problems getting a mortgage if you’re on a skilled worker visa. You just need to meet the lenders’ criteria.
What are the eligibility requirements for getting a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
There are various different things, and it varies a lot between lenders. If you’re looking at the minimum five percent deposit, there’s one lender that will do that. Others require 10% and some even need 25%.
The biggest thing tends to be the time you’ve been in the UK, building up your credit record in the background. You’re going to have to get through lenders’ scoring systems which require a minimum of 12 months’ data. Some other lenders look for two years.
What maximum loan amount can be obtained for a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
That’s 95%. Not many lenders are doing that, probably just one, and that is very much based on a minimum time in the UK of a year, with two years left on the visa. For skilled workers such as NHS consultants, you might need an individual income of either £60,000 or a joint income for a couple of around £90,000.
But this can still be done at 95%. Otherwise we drop to 90%, where you need a 10% deposit, all the way up to a deposit of about 25% where you will have more lenders to choose from.
Are there any age restrictions for getting a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
No. It’s generally the same as any other mortgage. If you’re a skilled worker, you’re going to still be working. Other criteria kick in, but there are no age restrictions as such.
Do I need a job offer from a UK employer to apply for a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
Yes. Again the minimum would be a job offer contract where you have either started that job or it starts within a couple of months. Depending on the size of the deposit, lots of things need to come together in the background.
Are there any restrictions on the type of job or industry that qualifies for the skilled worker visa?
The NHS is obviously a big one. There’s a minimum income that you need to earn, which is currently £38,700. Even working for the NHS, depending on what your job is, there’s a cut off there. We tend to work with nurses and above, as other roles in a hospital aren’t on that level and people wouldn’t be eligible simply because of the income.
Beyond the NHS, it tends to be positions at management level. There are a few exclusions, such as the armed forces, but most other industries will have jobs at manager, director and board levels that would allow someone to qualify for the visa.
What documents are required to apply for a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
They’ll be the normal ones for a mortgage – as in proof of address, proof of income, your ID and bank statements. Additional ones will be proof of your Right to Work and your immigration status, which is the tier two or skilled worker visa.
There are a couple of bits of extra paperwork, but nothing a prospective client wouldn’t have – because obviously they need that to work in the country anyway.
What if I have bad credit? Can I still apply for a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
Yes. It’s no different. Lenders will look at your credit record – it does depend on how bad the credit is. If you’ve been in the country a minimal time and you already have bad credit, it’s certainly not going to help you get a mortgage.
But again, because so many lenders have different criteria, there will be some that will accept small blips on your credit report. Other lenders will require perfectly clean credit.
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP WITH YOUR MORTGAGE REPAYMENTS.
THERE MAY BE A FEE FOR MORTGAGE ADVICE. THE ACTUAL AMOUNT YOU PAY WILL DEPEND ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. THE FEE IS UP TO 1% BUT A TYPICAL FEE IS 0.3% OF THE AMOUNT BORROWED.
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Come on in and be quite forward with what you’re after – just be very honest with your mortgage broker. It’s good to make sure that we know absolutely everything about you. That way we can’t be blindsided by a lender. An open book policy is very good when coming to see your mortgage broker.
Skilled Worker Visa Mortgage (Part 2)
Mark Davis continues the conversation around getting a mortgage on a skilled worker visa. Episode two of two, recorded in February 2025.
How long does the mortgage application take if you’re on a skilled worker visa?
There are a couple of extra documents to prove your right to work and your immigration status. That just becomes part of the process, the same as supplying the standard documents. It doesn’t take any longer.
It would be a similar process – and that will vary with each lender and often comes down to how quickly your solicitor is able to get you through to offer.
What costs are associated with getting a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
They will be exactly the same. Some lenders will pay for your property valuation, or maybe the product doesn’t incur any upfront fees. You wouldn’t pay any more simply because you’re on a skilled worker visa.
What are the potential risks associated with obtaining a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
The main one again is very much losing your job or changing jobs, because there’s no guarantee of another employer being willing to take somebody on for the new visa. The visa is very much associated with that current employer.
But the risk of losing a job is probably no more than anybody else’s. Equally, you might decide to leave your role. Depending on the circumstances, you would inform the Home Office and go through that process of obtaining a new visa.
What advice or tips do you have for applicants considering applying for a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
It’s the same as for anyone – having all the paperwork available obviously helps. The paperwork required will depend on the lender and what exactly they need. That’s important.
Make sure that the visa is not about to expire, because that can hold things up. As I said earlier, a lot of lenders will want you to have two years left on that visa – but not all of them. If it’s coming towards the end, get ready to extend the visa or apply for indefinite leave to remain.
Otherwise it’s no different from anybody else. You don’t want surprises at any stage, so you need to take advice around various things. If you lose your job, or become ill, that will affect you being able to pay the mortgage – so it’s really important to get the right advice upfront and avoid anything unexpected along the way.
Can you provide some examples or case studies of successful mortgage applications for clients on skilled worker visas?
We do a lot of these. We have had very good links with the NHS for quite a few years now. That’s where most of our skilled workers come from, but not all of them.
People often come to us and just don’t believe they can get a mortgage. By chatting through the whole process, and us explaining everything, they find out that they’re able to do it.
We talked about bad credit earlier, and we had one client on a visa who had missed a couple of payments on a utility bill. A lot of lenders are quite understanding with utilities, and this was a simple mistake on the client’s behalf.
Again, they didn’t believe they could get the mortgage, but after going through the process and doing a bit of homework before we started, those clients were able to buy their home, which was great news and very satisfying to do.
Perhaps they can’t find a suitable solution and they just believe at that stage this can’t be helped. But we have access to over 90 mortgage lenders so if it can be done, generally we could find the right lender.
As a broker, that’s very satisfying. We help people stop renting and get into their first home or their next home. It makes the job very worthwhile at the end of the day.
What else do we need to know about getting a mortgage on a skilled worker visa?
To summarise, it’s very much about gathering the initial paperwork and setting aside some time to see us – or any broker. We do like to see people face-to-face, but we also do a lot of video calls with clients.
We make sure there are no surprises. We break it all down for you. It’s quite likely you will need an advisor for something like this, because not all mortgage lenders do skilled worker mortgages, or they want bigger deposits.
It depends on the individual circumstances so it’s always right to get that advice up front. The likelihood is that then, when you do go out and find a property, your application is far more likely to be successful.
It’s much better than the other way round – where you’ve gone out, you’ve found a property and then for whatever reason you either can’t borrow enough or your visa restricts you based on time in the UK or because in fact it’s going to expire. By getting advice first, it’s less likely you’re going to be disappointed. Speak to a broker, find out as much as you can and then find your property.
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP WITH YOUR MORTGAGE REPAYMENTS.
THERE MAY BE A FEE FOR MORTGAGE ADVICE. THE ACTUAL AMOUNT YOU PAY WILL DEPEND ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. THE FEE IS UP TO 1% BUT A TYPICAL FEE IS 0.3% OF THE AMOUNT BORROWED.