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Yes, in most cases. The strongest and most common path is buying with your Australian partner. If your partner is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen, and you buy your home together as joint tenants, you are in the same lending position as a partner-visa couple: up to 95% of the property value, the FIRB joint-tenancy exemption, and the freedom to buy an established home, not just new builds. Buying on your own is possible too, just less common, and we cover that honestly further down. Book a free Lending Assessment and we will show you exactly what you can borrow, which lenders on our 31+ panel write 491 loans, and how to set this purchase up for the day your permanent residency through the 191 visa comes through. If you are buying with an Australian partner, our partner visa home loan guide covers the same route in detail.
This is the path most of our 491 clients take, and it is the one that opens up much stronger terms.
If you are buying your home together with a partner who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen, and you hold the property as joint tenants, the lender treats your application much like any other Australian borrower’s. The favourable position comes from your Australian partner being on the title with you, not from your 491 subclass.
What buying jointly with your Australian partner can unlock:
The FIRB joint-tenancy exemption applies when both are true:
A common mistake is buying as tenants in common, often on advice aimed at asset protection. That structure does not qualify for the FIRB exemption, even when your partner is Australian, which means FIRB approval would be required and the April 2025 restrictions may apply. We confirm your FIRB position before you start searching, so you know whether you are searching the full market or new stock only.
A worked example: on an $800,000 regional home bought jointly with your Australian partner, a 5% deposit is $40,000 and a 20% deposit is $160,000. For many couples that $120,000 difference decides whether you buy now or years from now.
If this is your situation, our partner visa home loan guide walks through the same joint-purchase route in full, including grants and stamp duty concessions.
Whichever way you buy, the 491 is a provisional visa with a clear pathway to permanent residency through the Subclass 191 visa. Many major banks have restrictive temporary-visa policies, and some will not lend to 491 holders at all. A smaller group of lenders, including non-bank and specialist lenders, actively write 491 loans. The job is knowing which lenders fit your situation and presenting your file to them the first time. We work across a panel of 31+ lenders to do exactly that.
If you do not have an Australian partner buying with you, you can still buy. The terms are tighter and the path is less common for 491 holders, so here is the honest picture, with nothing from the joint route carried across.
What applies when you buy solo as a 491 holder:
FIRB application fee (new dwelling or vacant land): the fee is indexed each July and scales with the property price; it runs well into five figures on a typical purchase (current fees are in our FIRB approval guide). The fee is non-refundable, so be confident in the purchase before you lodge. FIRB approval commonly takes around a month and can run longer, so build that window into your timeline, especially at auction.
Foreign-buyer stamp duty surcharge by state: NSW 9%, VIC 8%, QLD 8%, TAS 8%, WA 7%, SA 7%. The ACT and NT do not charge a foreign-buyer surcharge. On an $800,000 purchase, a 9% surcharge in NSW is $72,000, so it is a major cost to plan for.
The honest takeaway: buying solo on a 491 is possible with the right lender. It costs more (a larger deposit, FIRB, the surcharge) and it is limited to new stock, and we will place it for you when that is your situation. If you do have an Australian, permanent resident, or New Zealand partner, the joint route above gives you stronger terms, so that is the one we would point you to first.
For the 491 visa, “regional” means everywhere in Australia except Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Your property has to sit in a designated regional area to comply with your visa conditions, whether you buy jointly or on your own.
Designated regional areas for the 491 visa include:
The definition is broader than most people expect. You are not limited to small country towns. Major regional centres with several hundred thousand people qualify.
Why this matters for your home loan:
A common mistake: some 491 holders assume they can buy in a capital city and rent it out while living regionally. Your purchase must be your principal place of residence, both for your visa conditions and, if you are buying solo, for FIRB. An investment property in a non-regional area would breach both.
We know which lenders are comfortable in regional postcodes and which tend to create problems at the valuation stage. A declined valuation or a restricted postcode can cost weeks, so getting the lender match right the first time is where the regional piece pays off.
The 491 is a provisional visa with a defined pathway to permanent residency through the Subclass 191 visa. Planning for that transition now is one of the most useful things we do for 491 clients.
The 491 to 191 pathway:
What changes once your 191 (permanent residency) is granted:
Why this matters for your first purchase: if you buy now and transition to the 191 in a few years, your position changes fundamentally. We structure your first application with that pathway in mind, choosing lenders and loan products that serve you today and set you up to refinance or buy again once your PR is granted. If you are buying solo now, this is the moment the new-dwelling and FIRB constraints disappear. If you bought jointly with your Australian partner, PR simply broadens an already strong position.
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Yes. The strongest and most common path is buying with an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or New Zealand partner as joint tenants. On that route you can borrow up to 95% of the property value (a 5% deposit), the FIRB joint-tenancy exemption can apply, and you can buy an established home. Buying on your own is possible too: 80% LVR, FIRB applies, and new dwellings only.
Yes, if you buy with your Australian partner under the FIRB joint-tenancy exemption. Buying on your own, no: the established-dwelling ban (in place since 1 April 2025, and since extended) limits solo temporary residents to new dwellings, off-the-plan, or vacant land to build on. The restriction also lifts once you transition to permanent residency through the 191 visa.
Not in your own right: the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is for Australian citizens and permanent residents. But several states allow it for a couple where one partner is a citizen or permanent resident, usually for a new dwelling. We can tell you what is available in your target location.
Buying with an Australian or permanent resident partner? That joint route is the strongest position available, and our partner visa home loan guide covers it in full. Different visa subclass? We cover the full specialist panel, including 482/TSS visa home loans, 494 visa home loans, and bridging visa home loans, with the rules tuned to each visa.
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
