US Mortgage on a Work Visa: H-1B, L-1 and O-1 Explained

Q: Will a lender refuse me because my visa expires in two years?

There is no such rule in Fannie Mae's guide. It does not set a minimum remaining visa period and leaves it to the lender to establish that you are legally present. It does say income with a defined expiration date must be expected to continue for at least three years, and lenders differ on whether a visa end date counts as that. Some add their own requirements. Ask the lender how it treats your visa category before you apply.

Q: Can my partner's income count?

If your partner is allowed to work and has a US job, yes, on the same basis as any co-borrower. That depends on the visa. Partners of L-1 holders are authorised to work as part of their status. Partners of H-1B holders can apply for work authorisation only once the H-1B holder has started the green card process. Partners of O-1 holders may not work on that status.

Q: I have no US credit score. Is that the end?

No. Fannie Mae's automated system no longer requires a minimum credit score, and there are routes for borrowers with no score at all. They come with conditions, and lenders decide whether to offer them. See our guide to buying without a US credit score. Start building US credit from the week you arrive, because a score needs an account that has been open for six months.

Q: Does applying for a green card affect my mortgage?

Not negatively. H-1B, L-1 and O-1 status all allow you to pursue permanent residence without losing the visa. Once you hold a green card you are assessed as a permanent resident, FHA loans open up again, and the visa question disappears from the file.

Q: What happens to the mortgage if I lose my job?

The loan stays in place as long as you make the payments. Your right to stay is the issue. An H-1B holder who loses the job generally has up to 60 days, or until the visa period ends if that is sooner, to find a new sponsor. That is a reason to keep savings in reserve and to buy a home you could sell or let if you had to leave.

At a glance

Figures last checked: 3 October 2026

Can you get a standard loan?: Yes. Fannie Mae buys loans to lawfully resident non-citizens on the same terms as US citizens. The lender must establish that you are legally present.
H-1B: Up to 3 years, extendable to 6. Partner may work only in limited cases. Green card intent allowed.
L-1: 3 years initially, up to 7 (L-1A) or 5 (L-1B). Partner may work. Green card intent allowed.
O-1: Up to 3 years, extendable a year at a time. Partner may not work. Green card intent allowed.
Not available: FHA loans, since 25 May 2025, for anyone who is not a US citizen or green card holder.
Main hurdles: No US credit score on arrival, and foreign income that cannot be counted without two years of US tax returns.

The short answer

Yes, you can. Fannie Mae, which sets the rules most US lenders follow, buys mortgages made to non-citizens who are lawful permanent or non-permanent residents on the same terms as loans to US citizens. A work visa makes you a non-permanent resident. The lender has to satisfy itself that you are legally present, using the documents it considers appropriate, and Fannie Mae does not prescribe which visa types qualify or how long the visa must still run.

That last point cuts both ways. There is no official list that excludes your visa, and each lender is free to add requirements of its own. Finding a lender that is comfortable with your category is the first real step.

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The three visas compared

	H-1B	L-1	O-1
Who it is for	Specialist roles needing a relevant degree	Staff transferred within the same company after at least a year abroad	People with extraordinary ability in their field
Length	Up to 3 years, extendable to 6. Longer in steps when a green card is in progress.	3 years initially. Maximum 7 years for managers (L-1A), 5 for specialists (L-1B).	Up to 3 years, then extensions of up to 1 year at a time
Partner's right to work	Only with a work permit, available once the H-1B holder has begun the green card process	Yes, as part of the status	No
Green card intent	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed

For a household budget, the partner's right to work is often the line that matters most. A couple arriving on an L-1 can plan on two US incomes. A couple arriving on an O-1 cannot, unless the partner has a status of their own.

One H-1B point to check before you rely on a start date: a 2025 presidential proclamation imposed a $100,000 payment on certain new H-1B petitions for people outside the United States. According to USCIS, a federal court vacated the guidance implementing it in June 2026 and an appeals court declined to pause that ruling. The position was still being litigated when we wrote this, so confirm the current rules with your employer's immigration counsel. Renewals and existing visas were not covered.

What a lender looks at

Your status

Expect to show your passport, visa, I-94 record and employment authorisation. The lender is warranting to Fannie Mae that you are legally present, so it will want copies on file.

Your income

Non-citizens meet the same income rules as citizens. A US salary from your sponsoring employer is straightforward. Income from a foreign employer paid in foreign currency is not: it needs two years of signed US federal tax returns behind it, which a new arrival does not have. In practice the lender will work from your US employment contract and recent payslips.

Fannie Mae also asks that income can reasonably be expected to continue. Where income has a defined end date, the lender must document that it will last at least three years. The guide does not say that a visa expiry is such an end date, and lenders take different views. If your visa has less than three years to run, raise it at the start and ask what evidence of renewal or of a green card application the lender will accept.

Your credit

You will arrive with no US credit score, because scores are built only from what US lenders report. A FICO score needs at least one account that has been open for six months. Fannie Mae's automated underwriting no longer has a minimum score, and its rules allow foreign credit references to be used where US ones are missing, but those files are underwritten by hand under tighter limits. Our guide to buying without a US credit score sets out the routes.

Your funds

Money held in Europe has to be exchanged into dollars and held in a US-regulated institution, and verified there, before closing. Open the account and start the transfers early.

Which loans are open, and which are not

Conventional loans are the standard route, with down payments from 3% to 5% of the price for a main home if you meet the conditions. See how much cash you need.

FHA loans are closed. HUD removed non-permanent residents from FHA eligibility for cases from 25 May 2025. If you later receive a green card, they become available again.

Jumbo loans, for amounts above the local conforming limit, are not sold to Fannie Mae, so each lender applies its own policy to visa holders. In expensive areas this matters: check the limit for your county in our location guides.

Tax: a visa holder usually becomes a US tax resident

Immigration status and tax residence are separate tests. Under the substantial presence test you are a US tax resident once you have been present for 31 days in the year and 183 days over three years, counting all of this year's days, a third of last year's and a sixth of the year before. Someone working full time on an H-1B, L-1 or O-1 normally meets it in the first full year. From then on the United States taxes your worldwide income, which affects how you deal with a home and savings you still hold in Europe. Speak to a cross-border tax adviser before the move, not after.

Before you apply

Collect your passport, visa, I-94 and employment authorisation documents.
Ask lenders how they treat your visa category and its remaining validity.
Get a letter from your employer confirming salary, role and intention to continue sponsorship.
Open a US bank account and a credit card in your first week.
Move your down payment to the US account early and keep the paper trail.
Check whether your partner may work, and from when.
Keep several months of payments in reserve in case your job or status changes.

Questions people moving from Europe ask

Will a lender refuse me because my visa expires in two years?

Can my partner's income count?

I have no US credit score. Is that the end?

Does applying for a green card affect my mortgage?

What happens to the mortgage if I lose my job?

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Sources (15)

Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. Rates, prices and local rules change, so confirm anything you rely on before you commit.

Made, reviewed and approved by Bas Terpstra, AFM- and PGN-certified
Basterpstra B.V., Drachten, the Netherlands (AFM 12050993)

Who made this guide. Bas Terpstra makes, reviews and approves every guide, using AI tools and public sources as a starting point. Rules and figures change, so treat this as general information and confirm the details for your own situation.

This page is general information, not personal financial, legal, tax or immigration advice. Nothing here is an offer, and no rate, loan amount, approval or visa outcome is promised. Mortgage availability is subject to immigration status, income, credit, appraisal and lender criteria, and lending, tax and local rules change. Consult a licensed US lender, an immigration attorney and a cross-border tax adviser. Any property securing a loan may be at risk if payments are not made.