With FHA closed to non-permanent residents since 2025, conventional loans carry nearly every visa purchase. The rule behind them is one short paragraph in Fannie Mae's Selling Guide. Read closely, it explains both why visa holders can qualify and why lenders disagree so much about how.
Fannie Mae purchases and securitizes mortgages made to lawful permanent or non-permanent residents under the same terms available to U.S. citizens.
Fannie does not specify the precise documentation a lender must obtain to verify that a non-citizen borrower is legally present.
The lender decides status case by case, and by delivering the loan it represents and warrants that the borrower is legally present.
Because the warranty sits with the lender, each lender builds its own checklist. Those checklists are lender policy, sometimes called overlays, not Fannie rules. Common differences include:
Some want a minimum amount of time left on the visa or work authorization. Others accept a history of renewals instead.
Visa stamp, approval notice, employment authorization card, employer letter - lenders pick different combinations.
Every lender must judge whether income is likely to continue. Visa files add the question of whether the authorization behind it continues.
None of that is published in one place, which is why a visa holder who applies at a single bank can be declined for a reason another lender does not share.
Once status is settled, a visa file is underwritten like anyone's: credit, income, assets, debt-to-income and the property. Fannie's rule means your status is not supposed to change pricing or program terms, only the documentation step.
A thin U.S. credit file is the other common hurdle, and it is a separate question from the visa. Start the credit conversation early so the months before you buy do some work. For why FHA is off the table, see FHA and work visas.
Primary sources: Fannie Mae Selling Guide B2-2-02, Non-U.S. Citizen Borrower Eligibility Requirements (07/28/2015), current Guide published September 2, 2026. Visa rules are set by immigration law, not by this page; nothing here is a loan commitment.
Tell us your visa type, your timeline and where your credit stands. We will tell you honestly what the path looks like and which lenders fit - no obligation.