Foreign Nationals Can Now Borrow to 90% LTV — Including Skilled Worker and Health & Care Worker Visa Holders

West Brom for Intermediaries has launched a dedicated foreign-national mortgage range with purchase products at both 80% and 90% LTV. The significance is not simply the launch of another specialist product: qualifying Skilled Worker visa holders, Health & Care Worker visa holders and applicants with Pre-Settled Status may now be considered with a deposit of only 10% where the lender’s three-year UK address history requirement and wider underwriting criteria are met.

For foreign nationals building their lives and careers in the UK, the deposit requirement has often been one of the most significant barriers to home ownership. A borrower may have a stable professional income, several years of UK employment and a strong credit profile, yet still assume that buying must wait until they obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain or build a deposit of 20% to 25%. West Brom’s new criteria show why those assumptions increasingly need to be tested against the current mortgage market rather than treated as fixed rules.

The change takes effect on 13 August 2026 and forms part of a dedicated Foreign National product range rather than the lender’s standard residential range. That distinction matters because applicants still need to satisfy specific visa, residency, affordability and underwriting requirements. Nevertheless, the availability of specialist 90% LTV lending gives a clearly identifiable group of borrowers another route to home ownership without necessarily waiting until they hold permanent UK residency.

The Important Development Is the Deposit, Not Simply the Product Launch

Foreign-national mortgages are not new, and a lender offering a mortgage to somebody without permanent UK residency would not in itself represent a major shift. The more significant feature is the leverage. Moving potential borrowing to 90% LTV means an eligible applicant may be able to approach a purchase with a 10% deposit instead of the 20% or 25% commonly associated with more restrictive foreign-national lending.

The difference can be substantial in cash terms. On a £400,000 property, a 10% deposit is £40,000 whereas a 25% deposit is £100,000. That £60,000 difference can determine whether an otherwise financially established professional can purchase now or has to continue saving for several more years, before allowing for legal fees, moving expenses and any applicable property taxes.

This does not mean that borrowing at the maximum available LTV will be appropriate for every applicant. Higher leverage can affect pricing, monthly payments, affordability and resilience to future changes in property values, so the right deposit and mortgage structure still need to be considered within the borrower’s wider financial position. What has changed is that a smaller deposit may no longer prevent an otherwise suitable foreign-national borrower from being considered.

Skilled Worker Visa Holders May Be Able to Buy Before Obtaining ILR

The new criteria can potentially support Skilled Worker visa holders up to 90% LTV where they have three years of UK address history and satisfy the remainder of the lender’s requirements. This creates an important distinction between immigration status and mortgage eligibility. A borrower may not yet have permanent residence, but a lender can still decide that their employment, UK history, income and overall risk profile are sufficient for mortgage consideration.

This is particularly relevant to internationally recruited professionals who have established careers in Britain but remain within the qualifying period before they can obtain permanent status. Technology workers, engineers, financial-services professionals, senior employees and other Skilled Worker visa holders can build strong household finances relatively quickly while their immigration timetable continues for several years. Mortgage eligibility therefore needs to be assessed against current lender policy rather than inferred solely from the absence of ILR.

Doctors and Healthcare Professionals Could Be a Major Beneficiary Group

Health & Care Worker visa holders are also included within the new criteria, potentially making the development particularly relevant to internationally recruited doctors and other qualifying healthcare professionals. Many of these borrowers have stable UK employment, demonstrable income and a long-term intention to remain in Britain, yet historically they may have encountered restricted lender choice or materially higher deposit requirements because of their visa status.

Being considered at 90% LTV can materially change the purchase timetable for a healthcare professional who can comfortably service a mortgage but has not yet accumulated a large deposit. The lender will still examine affordability, credit history, employment, income and the property itself, but the visa position does not necessarily force the borrower into the lower-LTV segment of the mortgage market.

Pre-Settled Status Applicants Are Also Included

Applicants with Pre-Settled Status may also potentially be considered up to 90% LTV where they meet the three-year UK address-history requirement and the lender’s wider underwriting criteria. This matters because a borrower can be economically well established in Britain while not yet holding Settled Status, creating another situation where immigration status and mortgage eligibility do not necessarily move in parallel.

Someone previously told that they must obtain Settled Status before buying should therefore avoid assuming that an earlier assessment still reflects the complete mortgage market. Lender criteria can differ significantly and can change over time, meaning a current review may produce a different outcome where the applicant’s UK history, deposit, employment profile or available lender options have evolved.

Spousal and Dependent Visa Applications Require Careful Structuring

The criteria can also create routes for some spousal and dependent visa applicants, although these cases depend more heavily on how the joint mortgage application is structured. A spousal visa holder may potentially be considered at 90% LTV where the application is supported by another applicant who is eligible to borrow in their own right, while dependent visa holders can potentially qualify when supported by a qualifying Skilled Worker applicant.

This illustrates why foreign-national mortgage applications should not be reduced to a simple question about one individual’s visa. In a joint case the lender may consider the immigration status, employment, income and eligibility of both applicants, and changing the structure of the application can materially alter the available mortgage options. Couples with different immigration positions should therefore have the complete case assessed before assuming one partner’s status prevents a purchase.

Shared Ownership Creates Another Potential Route to Home Ownership

The shared-ownership element could be particularly relevant to younger internationally recruited professionals in London and the South East, where open-market values can make even a 10% deposit substantial. Foreign-national applicants who satisfy the lender’s criteria can potentially borrow up to 95% of their share on qualifying houses and up to 85% of their share on flats, including new builds.

Shared ownership is structurally different from purchasing the whole property and brings additional considerations around rent, service charges, lease terms, affordability and future staircasing. It should not therefore be considered purely as a route to the smallest possible deposit. However, for an applicant whose income is strong relative to their accumulated capital, it can provide a genuine alternative that is worth assessing alongside a conventional residential purchase.

Why “Wait Until You Have ILR” Is No Longer a Safe General Rule

One of the clearest implications of this development is that the phrase “you need ILR” should not be used as a universal description of UK mortgage eligibility. Some lenders remain more restrictive than others and many applications will still depend on visa category, residency history, income, affordability and the complete borrower profile. Current specialist criteria nevertheless demonstrate that permanent residency is not an absolute prerequisite throughout the mortgage market.

The same caution applies to deposit assumptions. A borrower may previously have been told that a 20% or 25% deposit was necessary because that represented the maximum LTV available within the lender or product range being considered at that time. The arrival of a 90% LTV specialist option means some of those cases may now justify a fresh assessment rather than waiting automatically for the borrower’s immigration position or savings balance to change.

Mortgage Eligibility Still Extends Far Beyond Visa Status

A qualifying visa does not by itself result in a mortgage approval. Lenders still need to establish that the borrowing is affordable and sustainable, verify income and employment, examine existing financial commitments, review the applicant’s credit profile and understand the source of the deposit. The property must also represent acceptable security, and features such as new-build status, flat construction, lease terms and shared-ownership arrangements can influence the available LTV.

The most useful question for a foreign-national buyer is therefore not simply whether somebody on their visa “can get a mortgage”. The more useful question is which lenders will consider their particular combination of immigration status, UK history, income, deposit, credit profile, property and joint-borrower structure. A case that falls outside one lender’s criteria can potentially sit comfortably within another lender’s policy.

Foreign-National Lending Is Moving Closer to the Mainstream

The wider significance of this launch is that 10% deposit lending to selected foreign nationals is becoming a genuine competitive mortgage segment rather than an exceptional accommodation. This does not remove the need for specialist underwriting, but it reduces the practical gap between an economically established foreign national and somebody who already holds permanent UK residency.

For Willow Private Finance clients, the change creates a strong reason to revisit cases that stalled because the applicant lacked ILR, had only a 10% deposit or was directed towards a much lower LTV product. It is equally relevant to immigration lawyers, relocation firms, international recruitment businesses and employers supporting overseas professionals because clients frequently assume that their immigration timetable automatically determines when they can enter the UK housing market.

The reality is more nuanced. Immigration status remains an important part of lender assessment, but it is one element within the broader mortgage decision rather than a universal prohibition on borrowing. For qualifying applicants with an established UK footprint, the current mortgage market may provide considerably more flexibility than they realise.