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Yes, in most cases. Lenders usually go up to 80% of the property value when you buy on your own, and up to 95% when you buy with your Australian partner.
When you buy your home jointly with a partner who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, your lending position is one of the strongest available to a temporary resident. Because your Australian partner is not a foreign person, a joint purchase as joint tenants can reach up to 95% LVR (Loan to Value Ratio), needs no FIRB (Foreign Investment Review Board) approval, and lets you buy an established home, not just new stock. It is effectively the same lending position as a partner-visa applicant.
Your 482 also helps in its own right. The income from the job that sponsors you is stable, verifiable PAYG income, which is exactly what lenders want to see when they assess whether you can service the loan.
Want to know exactly what you can borrow with your Australian partner? Book a free Lending Assessment. We’ll show you your lending options, which lenders on our 31+ panel work for 482 holders, and how the FIRB joint-tenancy exemption applies to your situation.
Yes. A 482 visa holder can buy a house in Australia. Buying a home or an investment jointly with an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident partner as joint tenants may be exempt from FIRB approval and can let you buy an established home. On an investment, some states can still charge the foreign buyer surcharge. Buying on your own is also possible with FIRB approval, new dwellings only, and a larger deposit.
The rest of this page covers both routes: the partner joint-tenancy exemption and buying on your own.
If you hold a 482 visa, whether granted as the current Skills in Demand (SID) visa or the earlier TSS (Temporary Skill Shortage) visa, and you buy jointly with your Australian citizen or permanent resident partner, most lenders will treat your application much like any other Australian borrower.
What lenders look at:
Buying with your Australian partner is the route most of our 482 clients take, and it’s the one we’ll recommend in your lending assessment when it fits. We know which lenders on our 31+ panel are most receptive to 482 applications, and matching you to the right one is where a specialist broker makes the difference.
The FIRB exemption for spouses and de facto partners is one of the most valuable provisions in Australian property law for a 482 holder. Here is exactly how it works.
You do not need FIRB approval if both conditions are met:
The exemption depends on your Australian partner and joint tenancy. It does not depend on your 482 stream. Core Skills, Specialist Skills, or a legacy TSS stream, the joint purchase sits outside the temporary-resident restrictions.
What the exemption saves you:
A common mistake: some couples buy as tenants in common rather than joint tenants, often on advice from an accountant or solicitor focused on asset protection. Tenants in common does not qualify for the FIRB exemption. The legal distinction is small, but the financial consequence is large. We flag this early in every 482 application.
We confirm your FIRB position before you start searching. For most 482 holders buying with their Australian partner, the exemption applies, and you search with the full range of properties available to any Australian buyer. For the full breakdown of how a joint application is structured, see partner / spouse visa home loans.
Buying jointly with your Australian partner, you access deposit and LVR options that most temporary residents cannot. This is where the joint-purchase advantage is most visible.
On a representative $800,000 property:
The 95% option matters. On that $800,000 property, the gap between a 5% deposit ($40,000) and a 20% deposit ($160,000) is $120,000. For many couples that difference decides whether buying is possible now or years away.
Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI): if you borrow above 80% LVR you pay LMI, a one-off premium added to the loan or paid upfront. On an $800,000 purchase at 95% LVR, expect LMI in the range of $20,000 to $25,000. It is a real cost, but it is the mechanism that makes a 5% deposit purchase possible. Most LMI providers will insure the application when your co-borrower is an Australian citizen or PR, which is not the case for most temporary residents buying alone.
What lifts your position: your Australian partner on the application, stable employer-sponsored income, a clean deposit history, and a clear pathway to PR. Getting the structure right, by matching you to the right lender, is one of the most valuable things a specialist broker does.
Most states add a foreign-buyer stamp duty surcharge for temporary residents, on top of standard stamp duty. Buying jointly with your Australian / PR partner under the FIRB exemption usually removes it.
Current foreign-buyer surcharge by state:
| State / Territory | Foreign-buyer surcharge |
|---|---|
| NSW | 9% |
| VIC | 8% |
| QLD | 8% |
| TAS | 8% |
| WA | 7% |
| SA | 7% |
| ACT | None |
| NT | None |
Three ways to reduce or avoid it:
We model your full cost up front (deposit, standard stamp duty, any surcharge, FIRB fee if it applies, legal costs, and LMI if it applies) so there are no surprises at settlement.
Buying solo as a 482 holder is less common, but it is genuinely possible, and we write these loans. Without an Australian partner on the title you are treated as a foreign person, so the joint-purchase advantages above do not apply. Here is exactly how the solo path works.
If you have an Australian, PR, or eligible NZ partner, buying together opens the strongest terms, which is why we lead with it. Buying on your own is a real option too. With the right lender match it gets done, and your lending assessment will lay out exactly what is achievable for your situation.
In December 2024 the 482 changed from the TSS (Temporary Skill Shortage) visa to the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, and the old short-term and medium-term streams were replaced. A legacy TSS visa stays valid on its existing terms, but new 482s are granted in one of three streams. The two you’re most likely to hold:
Core Skills stream: for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, granted for up to 4 years. Your salary must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold, which gives a lender a verifiable income floor before they read a single payslip.
Specialist Skills stream: for higher earners in most occupations, also granted for up to 4 years. The higher salary requirement means serviceability is rarely the sticking point on these files.
Why the change helps your loan: under the old rules, short-term stream holders had no direct pathway to permanent residency, and lenders priced that risk into solo applications. Under Skills in Demand, every stream carries a pathway to PR through the subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme, ENS) visa after 2 years with your sponsor. A defined PR pathway and up to 4 years of tenure read as stability to a credit team, and a lodged 186 nomination can see you treated close to a permanent resident.
Still on a legacy short-term TSS stream? The 2-year 186 pathway now covers you too. Raise it with your migration agent before you apply for finance, because the better lending terms can be worth tens of thousands over the life of the loan.
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Yes. Employer-sponsored 482 income is stable, verifiable PAYG income, which lenders view favourably when assessing serviceability.
Generally not in your own right, as the FHOG is for citizens and permanent residents. But if you buy with a partner who is a citizen or PR and hasn’t owned property before, they may be eligible. Rules vary by state.
Yes. A 482 visa holder can buy a house in Australia. Buying a home or an investment jointly with an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident partner as joint tenants may be exempt from FIRB approval and can let you buy an established home. On an investment, some states can still charge the foreign buyer surcharge. Buying on your own is also possible with FIRB approval, new dwellings only, and a larger deposit.
Yes. In December 2024 the TSS (Temporary Skill Shortage) visa was renamed the Skills in Demand (SID) visa; both are subclass 482 and lenders treat them the same way. The difference that helps you: every Skills in Demand stream now carries a pathway to permanent residency through the 186 visa after 2 years with your sponsor, which strengthens how lenders read your file. Legacy TSS visas remain valid on their existing terms.
Different visa subclass? We cover the full specialist panel. See our dedicated guides for partner / spouse visa home loans, 491 visa home loans, 494 visa home loans, and bridging visa home loans.
Request an exploratory chat about your options and how to secure fast home loan approval, at a competitive rate – even if you don’t have a 20% deposit.
Written & reviewed by Craig Vaughan, Director & Mortgage BrokerMFAA 47419 · Credit Representative 376082Last reviewed
