Visa and PR home loans
Home loans for visa holders and new permanent residents
Your visa decides more than most people expect: which lenders will look at your application, whether you need FIRB approval, what you are allowed to buy, and how much duty you pay. These guides set out each rule, with the date we last checked it.
01Three things change
How a visa changes a home loan
The loan itself works the same way for everyone. What changes is who will lend, what you can buy and what it costs.
Lender policy
Each lender decides which visas it accepts, how much it will lend as a share of the value, and what it needs to see. Permanent residents are often assessed like citizens. Temporary visa holders face fewer lenders and usually need a larger deposit. These policies change during the year, so we check them when you apply.
FIRB approval
Temporary residents are foreign persons under foreign investment law and need approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board before buying. Until 30 June 2029 they are also banned from buying established homes. Permanent residents and most New Zealand citizens living here are exempt.
State duty and grants
Most states charge foreign buyers a surcharge on top of transfer duty, and most first home concessions and grants need at least one buyer who is a citizen or permanent resident. The state where the property is decides, not the state that nominated you.
Deposit schemes
The 5% Deposit Scheme is for citizens and permanent residents; Help to Buy is for citizens only. For many visa holders, the grant of permanent residence is the point where these schemes open up.
02Guides by visa
Find the guide for your visa
Each guide covers what lenders look at, FIRB, an eight-state duty and grant table, deposits, documents and a worked example.
- Subclass 189Skilled Independent: permanent from day one, with the NSW 200-day rule to watch if you've just arrived.
- Subclass 190Skilled Nominated: permanent, state-nominated, and eligible for first home concessions in every state that has them.
- Subclass 491Skilled Work Regional (Provisional): FIRB, the new-home rule, condition 8579 and the move to the 191.
- Subclass 191Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional): what opens up after the 491 or 494, and the regional 5% scheme caps.
- Subclass 482Skills in Demand (employer sponsored): new homes only with FIRB approval, surcharges, and the 186 pathway.
- Permanent residentsAny permanent visa: no FIRB, full access to first home schemes, and the NSW 200-day rule explained.
- Subclass 494Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional): a regional employer, condition 8579, new homes only and the 191 pathway.
- Subclass 186Employer Nomination Scheme: permanent residence through your employer, and what changes after a 482.
- Partner visasPartner visas 820/801 and 309/100: joint tenancy, the FIRB spouse exemption and NSW's partner rule.
- Bridging visasBridging visas A, B, C and E: buying while a visa decision is pending, and what happens if PR comes after you sign.
- New Zealand citizensSpecial Category visa (444): no FIRB, state residence tests, first home concessions and the open question on the 5% scheme.
Part of the Nepali community in Sydney? See our page for Nepali home buyers in Sydney, including gift deposits from family overseas.
03At a glance
What each kind of visa allows
Federal rules depend on your residency class, not your exact subclass. State rules are summarised from each state's foreign-buyer and first home rules.
| Rule | Permanent visa | New Zealand citizen (444) | Temporary visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examples | 189, 190, 191, 186, 801, 100 and other permanent visas | Special Category visa | 491, 494, 482, 820, 309 and bridging visas |
| FIRB approval | Not needed | Not needed | Needed |
| Established homes | Allowed | Allowed | Banned to 30 June 2029 |
| Foreign buyer surcharge | No, except in NSW if a residence test isn't met; SA: confirm | No, except in NSW and VIC if a residence test isn't met; SA: confirm | Yes in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and TAS; SA: confirm |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | Eligible | Lender confirms | Not eligible |
| Help to Buy | Citizens only | Citizens only | Citizens only |
04FIRB
The established-home ban and FIRB fees
From 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029, foreign persons, including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies, are generally banned from buying established dwellings. The ban was due to end on 31 March 2027 and was extended in the 2026-27 Budget. Its exceptions are commercial, such as redevelopments that add at least 20 dwellings, so they don’t help someone buying a home to live in.
New dwellings and vacant land can still be bought with FIRB approval. The application fee depends on the price. If a developer holds a New or Near-New Dwelling Exemption Certificate, buyers in that project don’t need their own approval.
| Price | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $75,000 | $4,600 |
| $75,001 to $1,000,000 | $15,600 |
| $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 | $31,300 |
| $2,000,001 to $3,000,000 | $62,600 |
| $3,000,001 to $4,000,000 | $93,900 |
05State surcharges
Foreign buyer duty surcharges by state
Charged on top of normal transfer duty when a buyer is a foreign person under that state's rules. Each state defines foreign differently.
| State | Name | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Surcharge purchaser duty | 9% |
| VIC | Foreign purchaser additional duty (FPAD) | 8% |
| QLD | Additional foreign acquirer duty (AFAD) | 8% |
| WA | Foreign transfer duty | 7% |
| SA | Foreign ownership surcharge | 7% |
| TAS | Foreign investor duty surcharge (FIDS) | 8% |
| ACT | No surcharge on duty | — |
| NT | No surcharge on duty | — |
06What we do
What we can help with, and what we can't
We arrange home loans. For visa holders that means working out which lenders on our panel accept your visa, what they will need, how much deposit you need once FIRB and surcharges are counted, and when it makes sense to wait. We compare loans from [Number of lenders on panel] lenders on our panel; not every lender in Australia is on it, and not every lender accepts every visa.
We are not migration agents and we don’t give legal advice. Questions about your visa or your next application belong with a registered migration agent. FIRB applications and contract terms are for you and your conveyancer or lawyer; we make sure your loan timing fits around them.
07Questions
What visa holders ask us first
Can I get a home loan on a temporary visa?
Often, yes, but fewer lenders will consider it and most want a larger deposit. You are a foreign person for FIRB, so you need approval to buy, and until 30 June 2029 you can only buy a new home or vacant land. Most states also charge a foreign buyer surcharge on top of transfer duty.
Do permanent residents need FIRB approval?
No. Permanent visa holders are exempt from FIRB approval for residential land, including established homes. New Zealand citizens who hold or are eligible for a 444 visa are exempt too.
Which visas can use the 5% Deposit Scheme?
The scheme is for Australian citizens and permanent residents. It isn't available if any applicant holds a temporary visa, including where permanent residence has been applied for but not granted. For New Zealand citizens, the participating lender confirms eligibility.
Is it worth waiting for permanent residence before buying?
It often is, because the grant removes FIRB approval, the established-home ban and foreign buyer surcharges, and opens first home schemes. The cost of waiting is more rent. We compare the two with your own figures.
Are you migration agents?
No. We arrange home loans. For questions about your visa, its conditions or your next application, speak to a registered migration agent or the Department of Home Affairs.
Talk through your visa with Sulav
Bring your visa grant notice and a rough idea of your savings. In 60 minutes we work out which lenders fit and what the purchase will really cost.
Sources
The rules on this page come from these official sources. Each visa guide lists its own.
- Guidance Note 2: Key concepts (version 5)
- Guidance Note 6: Residential land (version 5)
- Residential investment information
- 5% Deposit Scheme information guide
- 5% Deposit Scheme FAQs
- 5% Deposit Scheme property price caps
- Help to Buy scheme
- Budget Paper No. 2, 2026-27
- More homes and a fair go for first home buyers
- Clamping down on foreign purchases of established homes
- Schedule of fees 2026-27 (version 8)
- Surcharge purchaser duty (NSW)
- Foreign purchaser additional duty (FPAD) (VIC)
- Additional foreign acquirer duty: assessing
- Foreign transfer duty (WA)
- Foreign ownership surcharge (SA)
- Foreign investor duty surcharge (FIDS) (TAS)
- Foreign purchaser duty surcharge (ACT)
- Stamp Duty Act 1978 (NT)
- Eligible regional areas