Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas
Being on a visa does not rule you out. Some lenders accept deposits from 5%, and one high street lender sets no minimum on the time left on your visa. Quanstrom Financial is a whole-of-market mortgage broker that finds the lenders whose criteria fit your situation, wherever you are in the UK.
Free, no-obligation callback from a qualified adviser
Named-lender criteria checked before you apply, so no wasted applications
Video, phone or face to face, with one adviser from first call to keys
Tell us a little about your situation and a mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial will call you back, usually the same working day.
No obligation. We only use your details to arrange your callback. Fees vary depending on your circumstances - we explain any costs clearly before you proceed.
5%
Deposit available with some lenders
0 months
Minimum time left on your visa with one high street lender
10+ years
Arranging mortgages for visa holders
UK wide
Video and phone appointments, one adviser throughout
Lender criteria
Every lender treats a visa differently. Some look at how long you have lived in the UK, some at how long is left on your visa, and some at both. These are the criteria five lenders apply to Health and Care Worker visa holders, one of the Skilled Worker routes. A mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial checks the right lender for your situation before anything is submitted.
Barclays
Borrow up to 90% of the value
12 months in the UK
No minimum time left on visa
Skipton
Borrow up to 90% of the value
12 months in the UK
6 months left on visa, minimum income £40,000 sole or £50,000 joint
Principality
Borrow up to 95% of the value
2 years in the UK
12 months left on visa
Generation Home
Borrow up to 90% of the value
2 years in the UK
No minimum time left on visa
Newcastle Building Society
Borrow up to 95% of the value
2 years in the UK
3 months left on visa
Correct at August 2026. Lender criteria change and every application is subject to affordability, credit history and the lender's full assessment. This is information, not advice.
Two things most brokers miss
Under 12 months left on your visa? Barclays sets no minimum on the time remaining for Skilled Worker visa holders, so a short visa is not the barrier it is often made out to be.
Buying with a partner who holds a UK passport? Halifax disregards the visa holder's status on a joint application while still using their income, which can open up high street rates that a sole visa applicant would not see.
Recent cases
Names changed, details real. Each is an illustration of what was possible for that client, not a promise of what will be possible for you.
5% deposit, 16 months left on visa
Ayoluuwa, Brighton
An NHS junior doctor on a Skilled Worker visa, told by another broker he needed a 10% deposit. Placed with Newcastle Building Society at 5%, with his fixed term training contract treated as permanent employment. Completed April 2026, adviser Toby.
4 months left on visa
Elizabeth, Eastbourne
A GP on a Skilled Worker visa with only four months left to run and a 10% deposit. Most lenders would not look at it. Placed with Barclays, which sets no minimum on time remaining. Completed July 2026, adviser Will.
10 months in the UK, joint application
Victoria and Krishna, Hailsham
First home together with a 5% deposit. Krishna had been in the UK ten months on a Skilled Worker visa; Victoria holds a UK passport. Placed with Halifax, which disregarded Krishna's visa status while still using his income. Completed August 2026, adviser Toby.
How it works
1
Tell us your situation
Visa type, time left, how long you have been in the UK, deposit and income. A 15 minute call, video or phone, wherever you are.
2
We check the criteria first
We match your circumstances against lender criteria across the whole market and tell you plainly what looks realistic, and what does not, before anything is applied for.
3
Agreement in Principle
A lender's initial decision on how much you may be able to borrow, so you can make offers with confidence.
4
Application to completion
We handle the application, chase the lender and solicitor, and keep monitoring rates until completion, switching you if a cheaper deal appears.
Common questions
Yes, in many cases. A Skilled Worker visa does not rule you out. What matters to lenders is how long you have lived in the UK, how long is left on your visa, your deposit, your income and your UK credit file, and each lender weighs those differently. That is why the choice of lender matters more for visa holders than for most other applicants.
It depends on the lender. Some, including Barclays and Skipton, look for 12 months of UK residency. Others, including Principality, Generation Home and Newcastle Building Society, look for two years. If you have been here less than a year, get in touch anyway - the options are narrower but not always closed.
This is the point most people get stuck on, and it is less of a barrier than it looks. Barclays sets no minimum on the time remaining for Skilled Worker visa holders. Other lenders ask for anything from three to twelve months left. One of the cases above completed with four months remaining.
Deposits from 5% are available with some lenders, and 10% opens up more of the market. If a bank has told you that you need 25%, that is that bank's rule, not the market's. Your deposit can come from savings or a gift from a relative, and lenders will want to see where it came from.
Often, yes. Halifax, for example, will disregard the visa holder's status on a joint application where the other applicant holds a UK passport, while still counting the visa holder's income towards affordability. That can bring a high street lender into reach at high street rates.
Lenders will check your UK credit file, and a thin file is normal for someone who arrived recently. A UK bank account, a mobile contract or utility bill in your name paid by direct debit, and a credit card repaid in full each month all help it build. Some lenders are more relaxed about a short history than others, which is part of what we check for you.
The Health and Care Worker visa is one of the Skilled Worker routes, and most lenders treat the two alike. The criteria shown above apply to Health and Care Worker visa holders. If you are an NHS or care sector worker on either visa, the same lenders and the same approach apply.
Yes. Quanstrom Financial is based in Eastbourne but works with clients across the UK by video and phone. You get one named adviser from the first conversation to completion, wherever you live.
A short conversation with a mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial will tell you which lenders fit your visa, your deposit and your time in the UK. No obligation, no cost for the initial chat.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. The information on this page is for general guidance only and is not personal advice. Lender criteria are correct at August 2026 and subject to change. Whether a mortgage is available to you depends on your individual circumstances and the lender's full assessment.
Quanstrom Financial is a trading style of Q Mortgages & Protection Ltd. Q Mortgages & Protection Ltd is an Appointed Representative of JLM Mortgage Network Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration numbers 1000783 and 300629. Further details may be found by visiting www.fca.org.uk.
