Foreign National
What is a Foreign National?
A non-U.S. citizen who owns or wants to own U.S. real estate.
In U.S. mortgage lending, a foreign national is any non-U.S. citizen who owns or wants to own U.S. real estate. The category covers a wide spectrum: a non-resident alien living abroad who never sets foot in the country between closings, an H1B or L1 visa holder working in San Francisco, an E2 treaty investor running a small business in Texas, an EB-5 investor in the green-card pipeline, or a foreign student on an F-1 visa whose parents are co-investing.
Conventional Fannie/Freddie financing typically requires a Social Security Number, two years of U.S. employment history, and U.S. tax returns. Foreign nationals usually don’t check all three boxes — even when they have substantial assets, strong international income, and impeccable credit in their home country.
That’s where non-QM and DSCR loans come in. By qualifying on the property’s rental income rather than the borrower’s personal income, a foreign-national-friendly lender can write the same investment-property mortgage to a citizen, a visa holder, or a non-resident alien — using the same underlying property analysis.
How Foreign National lending works at Total Quality Lending
Total Quality Lending’s Foreign National DSCR program lends up to 75% LTV on purchase (at the top tier, DSCR ≥ 1.00, loan ≤ $1.0M), with loan amounts from $150,000 to $1,500,000. We accept ITIN or passport-based ID — no SSN is required. The borrower’s home-country credit reference or international tradelines can substitute for a U.S. credit score (the “No Credit Score” path).
The program is investment-only: no owner-occupied or second-home purchases. Eligible occupancies are investment property only. For visa holders (H1B, L1, E2, O-1, TN, EB-5, F-1), the same Foreign National DSCR matrix applies.