Skilled Worker Visa Mortgages
A Skilled Worker visa can last up to five years before it needs extending, and the route to settlement may get longer. Waiting for indefinite leave to remain before buying is no longer necessary: a growing number of lenders lend to Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visa holders at up to 90 per cent. The catch is that every lender draws its lines in a different place.
- Which lenders accept Skilled Worker and Health and Care visas
- Time in the UK and visa time left at each lender
- Income thresholds that unlock 85% and 90%
- What the proposed settlement changes mean for buyers
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Share your visa type and expiry date, your employer and salary, when you arrived in the UK and your deposit. We will tell you which lenders will consider you now and what you can borrow, with advice built around your circumstances rather than headline rates.
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How a Skilled Worker visa affects your mortgage
The Skilled Worker visa is tied to a sponsoring employer and can last up to five years before you need to extend it, according to GOV.UK. You can extend as many times as you remain eligible, and under the current rules you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years.
Lenders are not assessing your immigration case. They want to know that you are likely to stay long enough, and remain employed long enough, for the loan to be repaid. That is why they look at three things: how long you have already lived here, how long is left on the visa, and how much you earn. The Health and Care Worker visa is a version of the Skilled Worker route and is treated the same way by most lenders.
The mortgage itself is usually a normal 25 to 35 year residential mortgage. Lenders do not cut the term to match your visa. They rely on the expectation that it will be extended or that you will move to settlement.
The government consulted in November 2025 on raising the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten, with longer periods proposed for some lower-skilled roles. As of early October 2026 none of this is in the Immigration Rules, no transitional arrangements have been published and the five-year route remains open. If it changes, more people will spend longer on a visa before ILR, which makes lenders that accept visa holders more important, not less.
A visa holder with a strong salary and a year or more in the UK now has a wide choice of lenders. Waiting for ILR purely to get a mortgage is rarely necessary.
At a Glance
Skilled Worker visa lender criteria compared
From each lender’s own criteria pages, or its announcement where the criteria page is not public, checked 11 October 2026.
| Lender | Time in the UK | Visa time left | Maximum LTV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham BS | No minimum | No minimum | 90% with two years of UK credit data, or an overseas credit report through its Nova Credit partnership. 75% with no usable credit data. Sterling income only |
| Santander | Changes the income test at one year | Not stated | 90%. Income from £50,000 sole or £75,000 joint after a year in the UK, £200,000 under a year |
| Accord | Not stated | Not stated | 90% if an applicant earns £50,000 or more, otherwise 75% |
| West Brom BS | Three-year UK address history | Not stated | Up to 90%. Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas named |
| TSB | At least 12 months | At least 18 months | 85% with £50,000 sole or £75,000 joint income, otherwise 75%. Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas named |
| Nationwide | Not stated | 12 months (reported) | 85% with £50,000 sole or £75,000 joint above 75% |
| HSBC | 12 months, or the income route | Not stated | 85%. Income from £75,000 sole or £100,000 joint |
Scottish Building Society, by contrast, normally requires ILR and three years in the UK, with an exception for medical doctors on a Health and Care visa.
Getting the application right
Time the purchase to the visa. If your visa has less than a lender’s minimum left, it may be better to extend first and apply afterwards. If you are close to a one-year mark, a few weeks can change the income threshold.
Build your UK credit file. Lenders that want two or three years of UK credit data are the biggest obstacle for newer arrivals. Our page on mortgages with no UK credit history covers the lenders that work around it.
Evidence the deposit. Savings brought from overseas need a clear trail. Some lenders want the deposit from your own resources rather than a gift. Our proof of deposit guide explains what lenders check.
Changing employer. A new sponsor means a new certificate of sponsorship and usually a new visa grant. Tell us before you move jobs during a purchase, because a lender may need fresh evidence of both the job and the visa.
NHS and care staff. If you work in the NHS, our mortgages for NHS staff page covers how lenders treat shift and banding pay.
If your partner is a British citizen or holds ILR, applying together can open standard criteria at some lenders. Accord, for example, lends up to 95% where one joint applicant is British or has ILR.
Where to go next
The pages most often read alongside this one.
How we arrange a Skilled Worker visa mortgage
The visa dates set the timetable, so we start there.
Check your dates
Arrival date, visa expiry and any planned extension or job change.
Shortlist the lenders
Lenders whose time, visa and income rules you meet now.
Prepare the evidence
Share code, contract, payslips, credit file and deposit trail.
Agreement in principle
Secured before you offer, so the seller takes you seriously.
Offer and completion
We manage the case and keep your solicitor and agent updated.
Read more before you buy
Related pages for visa holders.
On a Skilled Worker visa and ready to buy?
Tell us your visa dates and salary. We will tell you which lenders will lend to you now.
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Skilled Worker Visa Mortgages: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a mortgage on a Skilled Worker visa?
Yes. Lenders including Nottingham Building Society, Santander, Accord, West Brom, TSB, Nationwide and HSBC lend to Skilled Worker visa holders, with maximum loan to values from 75% to 90% depending on income, time in the UK and credit history.
How long do I need to have been in the UK?
Nottingham Building Society has no minimum. TSB and HSBC look for 12 months. West Brom wants a three-year UK address history. Santander and Halifax apply higher income thresholds if you have been here less than a year.
How long must be left on my visa?
TSB asks for at least 18 months. Nationwide has been reported at 12 months. Nottingham Building Society has no minimum. If you are close to a lender’s limit, extending first can widen the choice.
What deposit do I need on a Skilled Worker visa?
Usually 10%. Several lenders go to 90% if you meet an income or credit history condition, and 75% if you do not. TSB and Nationwide go to 85% with income of £50,000 sole or £75,000 joint.
Is a Health and Care Worker visa treated the same?
Generally, yes. It is part of the Skilled Worker route, and lenders such as TSB and West Brom name it alongside the Skilled Worker visa.
Will the mortgage term be limited to my visa length?
Usually not. Lenders offer normal terms on the expectation that the visa will be extended or that you will settle. They manage the risk through time in the UK, visa time left and LTV instead.
Is ILR changing to 10 years?
It has been proposed. The government consulted in November 2025 on a ten-year standard route to settlement. As of early October 2026 it is not in the Immigration Rules and the five-year route remains open.
Can I change jobs during my mortgage application?
Tell us first. A new sponsor usually means a new certificate of sponsorship and visa grant, and the lender will want evidence of both before it issues or keeps an offer.
Can I buy with my partner if they are on a dependant visa?
Yes, at lenders that accept dependant visas as joint applicants. Nottingham Building Society accepts dependant and partner visas on joint applications only.
Does a British or ILR partner help?
It can. Accord lends up to 95% where one joint applicant is British or has ILR, compared with 75% to 90% for applicants without settled status.
Written and reviewed by Osman Emin, CeMAP, mortgage and protection adviser · FCA register OCE01003 · Updated YOUR HOME OR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.