Edinburgh mortgage advisers for people on a Skilled Worker visa
Still renting because a bank said your visa isn’t enough? With the right lender, it is.
Nurses, engineers, IT staff and university researchers on work visas get mortgages through us every week. We’re a small Edinburgh firm, not a call centre, and your first call is free.
What your bank probably didn’t tell you:
- You don’t need indefinite leave to remain. A work visa is enough for the lenders we use.
- After a year in the UK, a 10% deposit works with several lenders. A few will look at 5%.
- Parents sending money from home? A gifted deposit from family abroad is fine with most lenders.
- Under two years left on your visa doesn’t rule you out. We’ve arranged them with under one.
- A no from your bank is one lender’s rulebook. Others differ, and we know which ones say yes.
Our promise to you:
- Your first 30-minute call is free.
- You get a straight answer. If it isn’t possible yet, we tell you what would change that.
- No pressure — you decide what happens next.
Your free 30-minute mortgage check
A call or video with Max, the adviser, not a call centre. You’ll come off it knowing which lenders might consider you, roughly what you could borrow, and what to do next. The call is free, and nothing is signed on it.
Book my free callHe got me a lender who took my skilled worker visa with a 5% deposit and no minimum time left on it.
A first-time buyer with credit issues and a low score — Max found a lender who said yes. Now I am a home owner.
I was surprised I could get a mortgage with no deposit at all. Max found the lender, and I have my Agreement in Principle.
Our Services
We help you beyond lender matching
Find the lender who says yes
A bank can only offer its own products. We know which lenders welcome visa holders, and we deal with them for you from start to finish.
Steer you past bad buys
Some properties are hard to mortgage or will cost you more than they should. We tell you before you fall for one, not after.
Look after what comes next
Insurance to protect your home and family, and a better deal when your first rate ends. One adviser, the whole journey.
More than just mortgage. See other financial services we offer »
The mortgage guide
Everything you need to know, in one page
Am I eligible?
Almost certainly, yes. You do not need indefinite leave to remain, and you do not need to have been here for years. With the right lender, these are the only things that really matter — and none of them is a wall.
No minimum time in the UK
Some lenders will consider you however recently you arrived. Others prefer 12–24 months. We know which is which.
No minimum visa time left
A short time left on your visa doesn’t rule you out — especially where you’re settled in work with a realistic route to staying.
No minimum income
Lenders run an affordability check on your real situation rather than applying a fixed salary cut-off.
Deposits from 5%
A small number of lenders will consider visa holders with a 5% deposit. 10% opens more doors; 25% gives the widest choice.
Who this covers: care assistants, senior carers, NHS staff, engineers, teachers, IT and hospitality workers alike.
How it works — four steps to your keys
Your free 30-minute call
Tell us about your visa, your work and your plans. No obligation, and we won’t use words we haven’t explained.
An Agreement in Principle
We match you with a lender who accepts your visa position, and get their written “yes, probably” — often within days. Estate agents will want to see it.
We handle the application
We deal with every form and every lender conversation. The lender arranges a valuation (its own check of what the home is worth), and then issues your formal mortgage offer.
Moving day
Your solicitor concludes the missives in Scotland (contracts, in England), then completion — and a front door with your name on it.
Start to finish this usually takes no longer than it would for anyone else buying a home.
What you’ll need
Missing something? Tell us anyway. There is nearly always another document that does the same job, and finding it is our problem, not yours.
How much can I borrow?
There is no single number, but there is a real answer. Most online calculators give visa holders a misleading figure, because they don’t model the lenders who will actually say yes to you. Here is what genuinely moves the number:
What you earn, and how
Salary, regular overtime, shift allowances and second jobs can all count. Care and NHS shift patterns are well understood by the lenders we use.
Your deposit, as a percentage
This is your loan to value. A bigger deposit usually means a lower rate as well as a bigger loan.
What you already pay out
Loans, cards, childcare and any money you send abroad all feed the affordability check.
The mortgage term
The number of years you take to pay it back. A longer term lowers the monthly payment, though you pay more interest over the years.
Ask us and we’ll work it out properly. Send us your situation and you’ll have a realistic figure — with the lenders behind it — within one working day.
Questions people actually ask
Frequently asked questions
Can I really buy with only a 5% deposit?
Sometimes, yes. A small number of lenders will consider a 5% deposit from visa holders. It is a narrower list than at 10% or 25%, and the rate is usually a little higher — but it exists, and we know who is on it.
How long do I need to have lived in the UK?
There is no universal minimum. Some lenders will consider you however recently you arrived; others want 12 or 24 months. The question is which lender you are sent to, not whether you qualify at all.
What if my visa has only a short time left?
It does not rule you out. Lenders look at whether you are settled in work with a realistic route to staying. We have arranged mortgages for people with well under a year left on their visa.
Do I need indefinite leave to remain?
No. Indefinite leave to remain makes the list of lenders longer, but a work visa on its own is enough for a mortgage. This is the single most common thing people are told wrongly.
Do I need a UK credit history?
A short credit history is normal when you have recently arrived, and it does not rule you out. Being on the electoral roll (registered to vote at your address) and keeping a UK current account in good order both help.
My bank already said no. Is that the end of it?
No. Your bank can only offer its own products, and its rules on visas may be the strictest on the market. A “no” from one lender says nothing about the other lenders we can approach.
I’m a care worker — does this apply to me?
Yes. The Health & Care Worker visa is one of the two we specialise in. Care assistants, senior carers and NHS staff are a large part of who we help.
Should I fix my interest rate?
A fixed rate locks your monthly payment for an agreed number of years, which most first-time buyers prefer. Whether it is right for you depends on your plans, and it is exactly the sort of thing we talk through.
What happens when my deal ends?
You move to the lender’s standard rate unless you act, which usually costs more. We get in touch before that happens and arrange a remortgage, which means moving your loan onto a new deal.
How long does the whole thing take?
An Agreement in Principle often takes days. From accepted offer to keys is typically two to three months, much of which is the solicitors. Your visa does not make it slower.
What do you charge?
Your first 30-minute call is free. If you go ahead, we set out our fee in writing before you commit to anything.
Answers are general information, not advice for your situation. Ask us and we’ll answer for your circumstances.