Visa and PR home loans
Home loans for permanent residents
Whatever the subclass, a permanent visa puts you on close to the same footing as a citizen when you buy a home. This page covers what is the same, what is different, and the one rule that catches permanent residents who travel: the NSW 200-day test.
On this page
| Visa status | Permanent visa |
|---|---|
| FIRB approval to buy a home | Not needed |
| Established (existing) homes | Can buy, no approval needed |
| New homes and vacant land | Can buy, no approval needed |
| 5% Deposit Scheme | Eligible (other criteria apply) |
| Help to Buy | Not eligible (Australian citizens only) |
Checked against the Foreign Investment Review Board, Home Affairs and Housing Australia on 26 October 2026.
What lenders look at
Lenders care about the visa being permanent, and after that they assess you like anyone else. What varies is how long you have been settled here, and that shows up in a few places.
Permanent visa, any subclass
Skilled, employer, family or other permanent visas are assessed the same way by most lenders. The grant notice and VEVO record confirm it.Time back after a long trip
If you have just returned after months overseas, lenders want to see you back in your job and your income flowing into Australian accounts again.Income from overseas
Rent from a property overseas or income from a business abroad is hard to use. Some lenders count part of it with strong evidence; many don't count it at all.Property overseas
A home you own overseas, and any loan on it, goes into the assessment as an asset and a commitment. It can also affect some state first home concessions.A partner on a temporary visa
If your partner is on a temporary visa, their status affects FIRB, duty and scheme eligibility for the purchase, even though yours doesn't.Credit history
Someone who has been a PR for years usually has a full Australian credit file. Recent arrivals may not, which is normal but worth knowing before you apply.
FIRB and the established-home ban
Permanent visa holders are exempt from needing FIRB approval to buy residential land, and the exemption includes established homes. The ban on foreign persons buying established dwellings doesn’t apply to you.
You will see “ordinarily resident” and “200 days” in the foreign investment rules. Under that law, a permanent visa holder who has been in Australia for 200 days or more in the previous 12 months is ordinarily resident and not a foreign person. FIRB’s exemption for permanent visa holders doesn’t depend on it. The same 200-day idea does matter for NSW duty, covered below.
If your spouse holds a temporary visa and you buy together as joint tenants, FIRB approval isn’t needed for them either. See the partner visa guide for how the rest of that purchase works.
Duty, concessions and grants in each state
Permanent residents pay no foreign buyer surcharge in most states and can use first home concessions and grants where they exist. NSW is the exception for the surcharge: it applies its 200-day test to permanent residents.
| State | Foreign buyer duty surcharge | First home duty concession | First Home Owner Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 9% unless the 200-day test is met | Yes | Yes, $10,000, new homes |
| VIC | No | Yes | Yes, $10,000, new homes |
| QLD | No | Yes | Yes, $30,000, new homes |
| WA | No | Yes | Yes, $10,000, new homes |
| SA | Confirm | Confirm | Confirm |
| TAS | No | No current scheme | Yes, $20,000, new homes |
| ACT | No surcharge | Yes | No grant (closed) |
| NT | No surcharge | House and land package exemption only | Yes, $50,000, new homes |
The NSW 200-day test in practice
NSW treats a permanent resident as a foreign person for surcharge purchaser duty unless they were in Australia for at least 200 days in the 12 months before the contract. There is a second route: buy as an individual, live in the property as your principal place of residence for 200 continuous days within 12 months of the contract, and apply to be treated as an exempt permanent resident.
You can count your days from your international movement records, which you can request from Home Affairs. Count back 12 months from the date you expect to sign, not from today. If you are close to the line, a short delay before signing can save the whole surcharge.
Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania don’t apply a days test to permanent residents for their surcharges, and the ACT and the NT charge no surcharge on duty. South Australia reads “Confirm” in the table only because we couldn’t check its residency rules directly.
Each state’s first home concession and grant has its own thresholds. Our first home buyer guides set them out state by state.
Deposit and LMI
As a permanent resident you can use the 5% Deposit Scheme: buy with a deposit of at least 5%, with a Government guarantee in place of LMI, if you are a first home buyer or haven’t owned property in Australia in the last 10 years. You must live in the home, and the price must be under the cap for the area (in NSW, $1,500,000 in Sydney and the listed regional centres). Joint applicants must both be citizens or permanent residents.
Single parents and legal guardians can use the scheme’s single parent stream with a deposit from 2%, and don’t need to be first home buyers.
Help to Buy, the Government shared-equity scheme, requires every applicant to be an Australian citizen, so it opens to you only after citizenship. Outside the schemes, a deposit under 20% generally means LMI.
Citizenship, and what it changes
For a home loan, becoming a citizen changes two things:
- Help to Buy becomes available, if you meet its income and price caps and don’t own property in Australia or overseas.
- The NSW 200-day test no longer applies, because citizens are exempt from surcharge purchaser duty.
Everything else stays the same: FIRB, first home concessions, grants and the 5% Deposit Scheme already treat you like a citizen. If your only reason to wait for citizenship is the home loan, it is usually not a strong one. The exception is someone who travels a lot and wants to buy in NSW.
Documents checklist
Permanent residents provide the standard documents. If you are buying in NSW after time overseas, add your movement records.
- Passport
- Visa grant notice
- VEVO check showing visa conditions and expiry
- Recent payslips
- Employment contract or employer letter
- Bank statements showing savings and deposit source
- ATO notice of assessment or income statement
- International movement records (to show days in Australia for the NSW 200-day test)
- Statements and loan details for any property you own overseas
This list is common lender practice, not a government rule. Each lender sets its own requirements, so we send you a checklist for the lender we recommend.
Illustrative scenario: the same purchase in NSW and Victoria after a long trip
A permanent resident has lived in Australia for six years but spent seven of the last twelve months overseas caring for a parent. Back at work, he wants to buy his first home, an established apartment for $700,000. He is weighing Sydney against Melbourne, where his employer also has an office.
Because he has been in Australia for fewer than 200 of the last 365 days, NSW treats him as a foreign person for surcharge purchaser duty unless he qualifies as an exempt permanent resident. Victoria has no days-in-Australia test for permanent residents.
| Item | Sydney (under 200 days) | Melbourne |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | $700,000 | $700,000 |
| Transfer duty before any concession | $25,687 | $37,070 |
| First home duty concession | −$25,687 | −$12,357 |
| Foreign buyer duty surcharge | $63,000 | Not payable |
| Mortgage and transfer registration fees | $365.46 | $1,872.20 |
| Government costs to budget for | $63,365.46 | $26,585.20 |
| Deposit (10%) | $70,000 | $70,000 |
| Loan before any LMI (90% LVR) | $630,000 | $630,000 |
| First Home Owner Grant (paid separately) | Not eligible | Not eligible |
- One buyer, a permanent resident and first home buyer, who will live in the apartment.
- The NSW column assumes he does not claim the exempt permanent resident treatment described below.
- Duty, concessions and fees calculated from Revenue NSW and State Revenue Office Victoria rules checked on 26 October 2026.
- Excludes conveyancing, building and pest inspections, lender fees, LMI and moving costs.
In Sydney the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme still removes transfer duty, because a permanent resident keeps that concession even when the surcharge applies. But surcharge purchaser duty of $63,000 pushes his government costs to $63,365. In Melbourne he pays reduced first home duty of $24,713 and no foreign purchaser additional duty, for $26,585 in total.
He doesn’t have to move states to fix it. In NSW he can wait until he has 200 days in Australia in the 12 months before he signs, or buy as an individual, live in the apartment as his home for 200 continuous days within 12 months of the contract, and apply to be treated as an exempt permanent resident. His conveyancer should confirm how the claim is lodged before he signs.
Common mistakes
Counting days from today
The NSW test counts the 12 months before the contract date. Work it out for the day you expect to sign.Assuming a partner's visa doesn't matter
A partner on a temporary visa changes FIRB, duty and scheme eligibility for a joint purchase.Leaving overseas debts off
Loans on property overseas still count. Lenders find them in bank statements if you don't list them.Waiting for citizenship by default
Apart from Help to Buy and the NSW day count, citizenship doesn't change your home loan options.
Questions from permanent residents
Do permanent residents need FIRB approval to buy a house?
No. Permanent visa holders are exempt from FIRB approval for residential land, including established homes.
I spent most of last year overseas. Do I pay surcharge in NSW?
Possibly. NSW charges surcharge purchaser duty to a permanent resident who was in Australia for fewer than 200 days in the 12 months before the contract, unless you buy as an individual, live in the home for 200 continuous days within 12 months and apply as an exempt permanent resident.
How do I prove how many days I have been in Australia?
Your international movement records, which you can request from the Department of Home Affairs, show each arrival and departure. Lenders and conveyancers may ask for them.
Do lenders treat permanent residents the same as citizens?
Many do. Differences tend to come from how long you have been working in Australia, your Australian credit history and any income or debts overseas, not from the visa itself.
Can a permanent resident use Help to Buy?
No. Help to Buy requires all applicants to be Australian citizens. The 5% Deposit Scheme is open to permanent residents.
My partner is on a temporary visa. Can we buy together?
Yes, but their visa changes parts of the purchase. If you are spouses and buy as joint tenants, FIRB approval isn't needed. First home concessions can apply because you are a PR, but surcharges may apply to their share and the 5% Deposit Scheme isn't available to the couple.
Talk through your visa and deposit 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.
Related guides
- Home loans for 189 visa holdersSkilled Independent: permanent from day one, with the NSW 200-day rule to watch if you've just arrived.
- Home loans for 190 visa holdersSkilled Nominated: permanent, state-nominated, and eligible for first home concessions in every state that has them.
- Home loans on a partner visaPartner visas 820/801 and 309/100: joint tenancy, the FIRB spouse exemption and NSW's partner rule.
- Home loans for New Zealand citizens in AustraliaSpecial Category visa (444): no FIRB, state residence tests, first home concessions and the open question on the 5% scheme.
Sources
Every rule on this page comes from these official pages. Dates show when we last checked each one.
- 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
- General transfer duty rates 2026/2027 (incl. premium residential rate)
- General transfer duty rates 2026/2027 (incl. premium residential rate) (official calculator)
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (new or existing home)
- Surcharge purchaser duty
- Surcharge purchaser duty (official calculator)
- registration fees
- First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant
- General land transfer duty rates (non-principal place of residence)
- General land transfer duty rates (non-principal place of residence) (legislation)
- General land transfer duty rates (non-principal place of residence) (official calculator)
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession
- registration fees (legislation)
- registration fees (fees)
- First Home Owner Grant
- First Home Owner Grant (first home owner grant current rates)
- Pensioner and concession card holder duty reduction
State and territory sources
Used for the state-by-state table.
- NSWSurcharge purchaser duty: individualsWhat is surcharge purchaser dutyRevenue NSW · Checked
- VICForeign purchaser additional dutyForeign purchaser additional duty (FPAD) rateState Revenue Office Victoria · Checked
- QLDAdditional foreign acquirer duty: foreign personsFirst home concessionFirst home owner grant: eligibilityAdditional foreign acquirer duty: assessingQueensland Revenue Office · Checked
- WAForeign transfer duty fact sheetFirst home owner rate fact sheetFirst Home Owner Grant fact sheetForeign transfer duty rateFirst Home Owner Grant amountRevenueWA · Checked
- SAForeign ownership surcharge: foreign personFirst home buyer relief: eligible applicantsFirst Home Owner Grant: eligible applicantsForeign ownership surcharge rateFirst Home Owner Grant amountRevenueSA · Checked
- TASForeign investor duty surcharge: definition of foreignFirst home buyers of established homes duty relief (ended)First Home Owner Grant: eligibilityForeign investor duty surcharge (FIDS) rateState Revenue Office Tasmania · Checked
- ACTDuties Act 1999 (ACT)Home Buyer Concession Scheme determination (DI2026-157)First Home Owner Grant (closed)Foreign purchaser duty surcharge rateACT Legislation Register, ACT Revenue Office · Checked
- NTStamp Duty Act 1978 (NT)First Home Owner Grant Act 2000 (NT)HomeGrown Territory Grant (First Home Owner Grant) amountNT Legislation, Northern Territory Government · Checked