Mortgage Glossary
Visa Holder Mortgage
A U.S. mortgage available to non-immigrant visa holders — H1B, L1, E2, O-1, TN, EB-5, F-1, and others.
What is a Visa Holder Mortgage?
A visa holder mortgage is a U.S. mortgage written to a non-immigrant visa holder — someone legally present in the United States on a work, study, or investor visa but without permanent residency. The category covers H1B specialty workers, L1 intracompany transferees, E2 treaty investors, O-1 extraordinary-ability holders, TN NAFTA professionals, EB-5 investors awaiting green-card status, and F-1 students (often with parental co-investment).
Conventional Fannie/Freddie financing technically allows some non-immigrant visa holders, but the bar is high: two years of U.S. employment, a Social Security Number, U.S. tax returns, and often a documented “continuance of status” demonstration. For visa holders who just arrived, are between renewals, or have non-traditional income, conventional simply doesn’t work.
Non-QM and DSCR programs solve this by underwriting either alternative documentation (bank statements, P&L, 1099s, asset utilization) or the property itself (DSCR). For investment property, DSCR is the cleanest fit — the property earns the rent, so the borrower’s visa subclass and U.S. tax history become irrelevant to the underwriting decision.
How visa-holder mortgages work at Total Quality Lending
Total Quality Lending’s Foreign National DSCR program covers all the visa categories above with one matrix: up to 75% LTV on purchase, loan amounts $150,000 to $1,500,000, credit scores from 680 (or No Credit Score path), investment property only. We don’t require SSN — ITIN or passport-based ID is accepted.
We maintain visa-specific landing pages with worked examples for each major category: H1B, L1, E2, O-1, TN, EB-5, and F-1 student.
FAQs
Which visa categories can get a U.S. mortgage through TQL?
TQL's Foreign National DSCR program covers all major non-immigrant visa categories: H1B (specialty occupation), L1 (intracompany transferee), E2 (treaty investor), O-1 (extraordinary ability), TN (NAFTA professional), EB-5 (immigrant investor), and F-1 (student). The same DSCR underwriting applies regardless of visa subclass.
Do I need to be in the U.S. for 2 years before I can buy property?
Not on a TQL Foreign National DSCR loan. Conventional Fannie/Freddie loans look for two years of U.S. employment history. DSCR qualifies on the property's rental income, so you can close days after arriving in the U.S. — your visa start date doesn't gate the loan.
Can I refinance my visa-holder mortgage if my visa status changes?
Yes. TQL's DSCR program doesn't tie the loan to your visa status — once the loan is closed, status changes (to green card or citizenship) don't trigger any acceleration or rate change. You can refinance later under DSCR or, if you become a permanent resident with enough U.S. tax history, switch to a conventional loan.