What is a partner visa home loan?

Subclass 820, the onshore temporary partner visa, is accepted by a reasonable spread of lenders, particularly where there is a clear path to the permanent 801. Subclass 309, granted offshore, is considered by fewer lenders while the permanent 100 is pending. Because the permanent stage is lodged with the temporary one, lenders look at how long you have held the temporary visa and whether the two-year mark since the temporary application was lodged has passed and how strong the relationship evidence is. Once 801 or 100 is granted, standard permanent resident policy applies.

Bridging visas A, B, C and E that accompany a partner application are a case by case matter, turning on the subclass, the remaining validity and the lender's appetite. Visa holder eligibility rules also set how long a visa must run at settlement, which is why a temporary visa home loan is often priced and conditioned differently.

Two things drive the outcome: your immigration status and the household's income. Temporary residents face stricter serviceability tests, sit outside some products and can be charged a rate loading. Where the citizen or permanent resident partner co-borrows, their income usually goes into the assessment, which is what makes many of these files work.

Lenders also want relationship evidence, much the same joint accounts, shared bills, lease and statutory declarations you gathered for the visa. Beyond that it is the standard pack: payslips or business financials, a credit check, and a traceable source for the deposit. If a major bank declines, specialist lenders for temporary residents may still write the loan at higher cost.

Many lenders prefer a 20% deposit from temporary partner visa holders because it keeps the loan-to-value ratio at or under 80% and avoids Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Smaller deposits are possible with some lenders, with LMI or guarantor support attached, though not every insurer will cover a temporary resident.

First home owner grants and stamp duty concessions generally require citizenship or permanent residency, and the rules differ by state, so check your state revenue office before you count on them. Temporary residents buying certain property types may also need FIRB approval before settlement, though buying as joint tenants with an Australian citizen or permanent resident spouse is generally exempt from that requirement. How the property is held decides it, so check the current rules for your structure, and raise the question early rather than at contract stage, because approval can move the settlement date.