Fast Home Loan Approval For 482/TSS Visa Holders

Can a 482 visa holder buy a house in Australia?

Yes. A 482 visa holder can buy property in Australia. But the type of property you can buy, the deposit you need, and the lenders available to you all depend on your specific circumstances.

Here’s what determines your options:

• Your stream — whether you hold a short-term or medium-term 482 visa affects which lenders will consider your application and what LVR they’ll offer.
• Your visa expiry date — lenders want to see sufficient remaining visa tenure. Generally, you need at least 12 months remaining, though some lenders require more.
• Your residency pathway — if you have a pathway to permanent residency (such as a pending 186 nomination), certain lenders will treat your application more favourably.
• Whether you’re buying new or established — this is the big one. As of April 2025, temporary visa holders face significant restrictions on purchasing established (existing) dwellings.
• Your deposit size — most lenders require a minimum 10-20% deposit from 482 visa holders, though options do exist at lower thresholds for the right applicants.
• Your partner’s visa or residency status — if your spouse or partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, your borrowing options expand considerably.

The short answer: yes, you can buy. The real question is how to structure the purchase so you get the best possible terms. That requires a broker who understands the specific lending landscape for temporary visa holders — not one who treats you the same as a standard domestic applicant.

What changed in April 2025? The established dwelling ban

In April 2025, the Australian Government implemented a ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings. This is the single biggest change to the property landscape for 482 visa holders in recent years, and it fundamentally changes what you can buy.

What the ban means:

Temporary visa holders — including 482 visa holders — are now prohibited from purchasing established (existing) residential dwellings. This ban was introduced as a housing affordability measure and applies to all temporary residents who require Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval.

What counts as an established dwelling:

Any residential property that has been previously occupied or sold. If someone has lived in it before, it’s established. This includes houses, apartments, and townhouses on the resale market.

What the ban does NOT cover:

• New dwellings (properties that have never been occupied or sold as a residence)
• Off-the-plan purchases (apartments or houses bought before construction is complete)
• Vacant land (for the purpose of building a new dwelling)
• Substantially renovated properties that qualify as “new” under FIRB guidelines

Why this matters for your home loan:

The ban doesn’t stop you from buying property. It narrows what you can buy. And because the eligible property types (new builds, off-the-plan, vacant land plus construction) often involve different lending products — like construction loans or off-the-plan settlement finance — you need a broker who understands both the FIRB rules and the lending requirements for these property types.

Many 482 visa holders we speak to are unaware of this change, or they’ve been told conflicting information by agents or other brokers. The rules are clear. The opportunities within those rules are real. You just need the right guidance to navigate them.

What can 482 visa holders still buy?

Despite the established dwelling ban, 482 visa holders have three clear pathways to property ownership in Australia.

New dwellings

A property that has never been sold or occupied as a residence. This includes newly built homes, apartments in recently completed developments, and display homes being sold for the first time.

New dwellings often come with competitive pricing from developers looking to move stock, and some lenders offer favourable terms because the property is new and the valuation risk is lower.

Off-the-plan purchases

Buying an apartment or house before it’s built is one of the most common routes for temporary visa holders. Off-the-plan purchases come with FIRB advantages (developers often secure blanket FIRB certificates) and can offer stamp duty savings in some states.

The lending side requires planning. You typically pay a 10% deposit at contract exchange and then secure finance before settlement — which could be 12 to 24 months later. Your visa status, employment, and financial position at settlement are what the lender assesses, not your position when you signed the contract.

This is where a specialist broker matters. We assess your likely position at settlement and identify lenders whose policies will work for your situation at that point.

Vacant land plus construction

Buying a block of land and building a new home is another viable option. This involves two lending products — a land loan and a construction loan — which are typically packaged together.

Construction lending for temporary visa holders has its own set of requirements. Not all lenders offer construction loans to 482 visa holders, and those that do may apply different LVR limits compared to a standard purchase.

We know which lenders offer construction loans to temporary visa holders, what deposit they require, and how they handle the progressive drawdown during the build.

Do you need FIRB approval?

In most cases, yes. If you’re a temporary resident (which includes 482 visa holders), you are classified as a “foreign person” under Australian foreign investment law and need FIRB approval before purchasing residential property.

What FIRB approval involves:

• You apply through the FIRB portal before purchasing (or within a set period for off-the-plan)
• There is an application fee, which varies based on the purchase price (starting from approximately $14,700 for properties up to $1 million in 2026)
• FIRB will assess whether the purchase meets the requirements — for temporary residents, this generally means the property must be a new dwelling, off-the-plan, or vacant land for new construction
• Processing times vary but typically range from 30 to 60 days

When you might NOT need FIRB approval:

There is a significant exemption that many 482 visa holders don’t know about. If you are purchasing jointly with a spouse or de facto partner who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and that partner will be a joint owner, FIRB approval may not be required.

This exemption applies because the property is being purchased by someone who is not a “foreign person” (your Australian partner), even though you are on a temporary visa. The exemption also removes the foreign buyer stamp duty surcharge in most states.

This is a meaningful financial advantage. The FIRB fee alone can be $14,700 or more, and the stamp duty surcharge can add 7-8% of the purchase price in states like Victoria and New South Wales. For a $700,000 property in Victoria, that surcharge alone is $56,000.

If your partner is Australian, structuring the application correctly from day one saves tax and lending headaches later — see spouse/partner visa home loans for how we structure joint applications.

What about stamp duty surcharges?

Most Australian states and territories impose a foreign buyer stamp duty surcharge on purchases by temporary residents. This is in addition to the standard stamp duty that all buyers pay.

Current surcharges by state (2026):

On a $700,000 property in NSW, the foreign buyer surcharge alone is $56,000 — on top of standard stamp duty of approximately $26,000.

How to reduce or avoid the surcharge:

• Buy in the ACT or NT where no surcharge applies
• Purchase jointly with an Australian citizen or PR spouse — the FIRB exemption that removes the requirement for FIRB approval also removes the foreign buyer surcharge in most states
• Apply for a refund if you become a permanent resident — some states (notably NSW and Victoria) allow you to apply for a refund of the surcharge if you obtain permanent residency within a set period after purchase

The stamp duty surcharge is a real cost that needs to be factored into your total purchase budget. We help you model the full cost — deposit, stamp duty, FIRB fees, legal costs, and LMI if applicable — so there are no surprises at settlement.

Can your Australian partner help?

If your spouse or de facto partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, your home loan options improve substantially. This is one of the most underused advantages for 482 visa holders.

What changes with an Australian partner on the application:

• FIRB exemption — purchasing jointly with an Australian citizen or PR partner may exempt you from FIRB approval, saving the application fee and broadening the property types available to you.
• No foreign buyer stamp duty surcharge — the FIRB exemption typically removes the surcharge too. This can save $40,000-$80,000 depending on your state and purchase price.
• Higher LVR — lenders view applications with an Australian citizen or PR borrower more favourably. LVRs of 90-95% become achievable.
• Broader lender selection — lenders that won’t lend to temporary visa holders may consider the application if the primary borrower is an Australian citizen or PR.
• Better interest rates — lower risk profile means more competitive pricing.

How to structure the application:

The Australian partner should typically be the primary applicant, with the 482 visa holder as a co-borrower. Both incomes can be used to service the loan, which often increases your borrowing capacity compared to applying alone.

The exact structure depends on your circumstances, including the property ownership split you want, whether one or both of you are on the title, and the income and employment profile of each borrower.

This is specialist structuring work. Getting it right from the start saves money and avoids complications if your visa status changes later. For the full breakdown, see spouse/partner visa lending.

How we help 482 visa holders

MAP Home Loans specialises in home loans for temporary visa holders, non-residents, and foreign nationals. The 482 visa is one of the most common visa types we work with.

Here’s what that specialisation means in practice.

Access to 31+ lenders

We work across a panel of more than 31 lenders — including major banks, second-tier lenders, and specialist non-bank lenders. Each has different policies for temporary visa holders. Some won’t lend to 482 holders at all. Others will, but only under specific conditions. A few actively compete for this business and offer genuinely competitive terms.

We know which lenders work for which situations. That knowledge comes from placing hundreds of temporary visa holder loans and maintaining direct relationships with lender credit teams.

When you come to us, we don’t submit your application to a lender and hope for the best. We match your specific profile — visa stream, remaining tenure, employment type, deposit size, property type — to the lender whose policy gives you the best outcome.

We understand the FIRB and regulatory layer

A home loan application for a 482 visa holder doesn’t exist in isolation. It sits alongside FIRB requirements, stamp duty rules, foreign ownership regulations, and visa conditions. Most brokers treat these as separate problems. We treat them as one integrated picture.

We’ll tell you whether you need FIRB approval, how it affects your timeline, what it costs, and how to structure the purchase to minimise surcharges. We coordinate the lending and regulatory sides so nothing falls through the gaps.

We know what changed and what’s coming

The April 2025 established dwelling ban changed the game for temporary residents. Lending policies are still adjusting. Some lenders have tightened their criteria. Others have expanded into new-build and off-the-plan lending to fill the gap.

We track these changes in real time. When you work with us, you get advice based on current policy — not information that was accurate six months ago.

Structuring for your future, not just today

Many 482 visa holders are on a path to permanent residency. The home loan you take out today should account for where you’ll be in two to three years. That might mean choosing a lender whose product allows easy refinancing once you get your PR, or structuring the loan to avoid break costs if your circumstances change.

We think beyond the immediate transaction. Your loan should work for the next stage of your life in Australia, not just the current one.

No cost to you

Our service is free. We’re paid by the lender on settlement — the same commission structure that applies to every mortgage broker in Australia. You get specialist advice and access to our full lender panel at no cost.

And if you’re not 100% satisfied with our service, we’ll pay your first week’s home loan interest repayment. That’s our guarantee.