A non-permanent resident alien can get a mortgage in the United States, most commonly through a conventional loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which both allow lending to lawful non-permanent residents on the same terms offered to U.S. citizens.1Fannie Mae. Non-U.S. Citizen Borrower Eligibility Requirements2Freddie Mac. Section 5103.2 What changed recently is the FHA route: as of May 25, 2025, non-permanent residents are no longer eligible for FHA-insured loans.3U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mortgagee Letter 2025-09 – Revisions to Residency Requirements Federal law still bars lenders from denying credit based on national origin, but they can evaluate your immigration status, work authorization, and likelihood of continued U.S. residency when deciding whether to approve you.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can a Lender Consider the Fact That I Am Not a U.S. Citizen?
What Lenders Check About Your Status
Two questions drive the review: are you legally in the country, and are you authorized to earn income here? Visa categories commonly accepted include H-1B (specialty occupations), L-1 (intracompany transfers), O-1 (extraordinary ability), and E-series (treaty traders and investors). Each ties to employment, which is what gives a lender comfort that payments will keep coming.
Some lenders ask for a valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Others accept the visa itself as proof of work authorization when the visa carries that right, as H-1B does for the sponsoring employer. Either can work; which one your lender wants depends on their own file requirements.
You also need a Social Security Number. The Social Security Administration issues SSNs to noncitizens authorized to work in the U.S., and you can apply during the immigration process or after arrival.5Social Security Administration. Request a Social Security Number for the First Time The SSN is what lets a lender pull your U.S. credit history. Without one, a standard conventional application will not move forward, though borrowers with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number have a separate track described below.
Documents and Down Payment Funds
Expect a deeper paper trail than a typical citizen file. At minimum, gather two years of federal tax returns, W-2s, and at least 30 days of recent pay stubs. Any foreign-source income documents generally need certified English translations and conversion to U.S. dollars.
A domestic credit profile helps more than newcomers expect. Fannie Mae allows lenders to use nontraditional credit references when a borrower lacks a standard credit score, and twelve months of on-time rent, utility, or insurance payments can stand in for a traditional file.6Fannie Mae. Number and Types of Nontraditional Credit References Some lenders also use services that translate international credit bureau data into a form U.S. underwriters can read.
Down payment funds have to be seasoned, meaning they’ve been in your U.S. bank account for at least 60 days before you apply.7Experian. What Are Seasoned Funds for a Down Payment? Large recent deposits will draw questions. The lender wants a paper trail: a signed gift letter, a wire record from your own overseas account, or bank statements showing accumulation over time. Unexplained money can stall an approval.
On the Uniform Residential Loan Application (Fannie Mae Form 1003), Section 1a asks for citizenship status. You’ll select “Non-Permanent Resident Alien.”8Fannie Mae. Uniform Residential Loan Application – Freddie Mac Form 65, Fannie Mae Form 1003 The answer shapes how the file is underwritten and what the lender will request next.
Loan Programs That Are Open to You
Conventional Loans
This is the primary path. Fannie Mae states it purchases mortgages made to lawful non-permanent residents “under the same terms that are available to U.S. citizens.”1Fannie Mae. Non-U.S. Citizen Borrower Eligibility Requirements Freddie Mac follows the same approach for borrowers with lawful residency status.2Freddie Mac. Section 5103.2 In practice, “same terms” means the same minimum down payments (as low as 3% to 5% for a primary residence depending on the product and credit profile), the same credit thresholds, and the same interest rates.
Fannie Mae leaves the specific documentation for proving lawful presence to the lender. That discretion is why requirements vary from bank to bank.
Non-QM and Portfolio Loans
If your file doesn’t fit conventional guidelines, non-qualified mortgage and portfolio loans give more flexibility. These loans stay on the lender’s books or sell to private investors rather than Fannie or Freddie, so the lender writes its own rules. The trade-off is cost. Non-QM loans typically carry higher interest rates and require 20% to 25% down, with heavier cash reserve requirements as well. They are more comfortable with bank-statement income in place of tax returns, which helps self-employed borrowers or those with complex international earnings. Many people use them as a bridge until they qualify for conventional financing.
ITIN Loans
Borrowers without an SSN but with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number have their own track. Select lenders and credit unions offer ITIN mortgages as portfolio products. Down payments typically start at 15% and can run to 20% depending on credit. Credit score minimums sit around 660 at most programs, and loan amounts can reach $1.25 million or more. No government agency backs these loans, so rates run above conventional pricing, but they are a real path for people with U.S. tax filing obligations and stable income who cannot get an SSN.
Programs That Are Not Open to You
FHA loans, once one of the most popular routes for visa holders because of the 3.5% minimum down payment, closed to non-permanent residents in 2025. HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-09 removed non-permanent resident eligibility from FHA-insured lending for case numbers assigned on or after May 25, 2025.3U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mortgagee Letter 2025-09 – Revisions to Residency Requirements The only non-citizen categories that remain eligible are lawful permanent residents and citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The same restriction reaches FHA Title I property improvement and manufactured home loans. Existing FHA loans that closed before the cutoff are not affected.
USDA Rural Development loans define eligible borrowers as U.S. citizens, U.S. non-citizen nationals, or “qualified aliens” under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. That definition covers permanent residents, refugees, asylees, and certain parolees, but not H-1B, L-1, or most other work-visa holders.9USDA Rural Development. USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program Overview A temporary USDA waiver had extended eligibility to EAD holders, but it expired in May 2025.
VA loans are tied to military service, not citizenship. Non-citizens who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces can earn eligibility through service, but this applies to a small subset of visa holders.
How the Application Moves
Once documents are assembled and the loan product is chosen, formal application starts a timed process. The lender must send you a Loan Estimate within three business days of receiving your completed application, showing the projected rate, monthly payment, and closing costs.10Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Loan Estimate?
A step that’s specific to non-citizen files runs through the SAVE program (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements), an online system run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Lenders use SAVE to confirm your immigration status, work authorization, and document expiration dates.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. About SAVE The check happens during underwriting at no cost to you, but it can raise flags if your status is close to expiring or if USCIS records don’t match your paperwork.
As closing approaches, the underwriter may ask for fresh pay stubs, bank statements, or an updated verification of your visa status. The lender must deliver a Closing Disclosure at least three business days before you sign.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Should I Do If I Do Not Get a Closing Disclosure Three Days Before My Mortgage Closing? Compare it line by line against your Loan Estimate. Changed fees, new charges, or a different rate are all reasons to push back before closing.
What Happens If Your Visa Expires
Losing visa status does not automatically trigger a mortgage default or let the lender call the loan due. You still owe the debt, and the lender still holds a lien on the property. As long as you keep paying, most lenders have no practical or contractual reason to accelerate the loan solely because your immigration status changed.
The real risk is income. Losing work authorization usually means losing the paycheck that funds the payment. If you fall behind, the lender can foreclose under the same rules that apply to any borrower. You also keep the right to sell the property regardless of your status, though FIRPTA withholding will apply if you’re treated as a foreign person at the time of sale. Cash reserves and a plan for a possible status change protect you far better than worry does.
Taxes: Interest Deduction and FIRPTA
Many non-permanent residents working on employment visas file as resident aliens under the substantial presence test, using Form 1040, and can claim the mortgage interest deduction the same way citizens do. Those who file Form 1040-NR because their income is connected to a U.S. trade or business can claim itemized deductions including state and local income taxes and certain other expenses; the IRS directs those filers to Publication 519.13Internal Revenue Service. Nonresident – Figuring Your Tax Your day count over the past three years determines which form applies.
Selling brings the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act into play. FIRPTA requires 15% withholding on the sale price when a foreign person sells U.S. real estate.14Internal Revenue Service. FIRPTA Withholding The withholding is a prepayment against any capital gains tax you owe, so overpayments come back as a refund when you file. One exception: if the buyer plans to use the property as a personal residence and the price is $300,000 or less, FIRPTA does not apply.15Internal Revenue Service. Exceptions From FIRPTA Withholding Above that, the 15% applies to the entire amount realized, not just profit. On a $500,000 sale, that’s $75,000 held at closing.
If you’ve become a U.S. tax resident by the time you sell, whether through a green card or the substantial presence test, FIRPTA withholding generally doesn’t apply. What matters is your tax status at the time of the sale, not when you bought.