CIS Visa Mortgage

We specialise in Mortgage Advice for Subcontractors paid via the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)

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CIS Visa Mortgage (Part 1)

David Sharpstone explains how the mortgage process works if you are a Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractor on a visa. Episode one of two, recorded in July 2025.

Podcast approved by The Openwork Partnership on 05/08/2025.

Can I get a mortgage as a CIS contractor on a visa?

I’m not going to pretend to be a part-time immigration officer who knows the ins and outs of every single visa type in the UK. But I do know that the skilled worker visa is the most common route for people coming to the UK.

The skilled worker visa replaces the previous ‘tier two’ general working visa. So in this episode we’re talking about people who are here in the UK on a skilled worker visa. And on that basis, there are subcontractor-friendly lenders that will lend to workers on a skilled worker visa, who are paid through the Construction Industry Scheme.

Can I get a mortgage as a CIS contractor on a visa if I’ve been contracting for less than 12 months?

You would need 12 months minimum, because the same rule applies to anybody, whether you’re on a visa or born and bred in Britain. 12 months is the minimum time working in the construction industry before I could place anybody on a mortgage using CIS income. Less than 12 months, especially on a visa, just wouldn’t work.

Are there any specific lenders that specialise in mortgages for CIS contractors on a visa?

I wouldn’t say there are specific lenders, but there are some I would avoid. Some lenders are more flexible with visas, and some are less so.

Certain lenders are simply better dealing with this combination of scenarios when you’re a CIS subcontractor on a visa.

How do mortgage lenders assess income under the CIS scheme? What documents do I need to provide as a CIS contractor on a visa?

In terms of assessing income, these lenders do not ask for copies of tax returns, tax calculations and SA302s. They purely focus their attention on the CIS monthly, weekly or fortnightly remittance statements.

They generally look for three months’ to 12 months’ records and will take an average across them. Obviously, for 12 months you don’t need to take an average – it’s just totalling it all up for an annual figure.

They’ll be using the CIS statement and remittance statements alongside bank statements to make sure that the net income after CIS tax on the statement matches what’s going into the bank account.

Evidencing your visa status would require a copy of the visa. If you’re an EU national it would probably involve a copy of the share code.

Can I use the gross income from CIS payments for the mortgage application?

That would be the only way to use CIS. Any lender that uses CIS income would only work off the average gross income. That’s the way it’s calculated in every single scenario.

What is the minimum credit score needed for a mortgage as a CIS contractor on a visa?

People seem to put a lot of weight on the actual credit score. Experian and Equifax might give you a figure out of 1,000 – but the two might differ. It’s only really their opinion, and Trans Union scores out of 500.

The specific score doesn’t help in this scenario because whatever the credit reference agencies think, mortgage lenders will score you entirely differently.

When they do a credit check, they might use Experian, Equifax, TransUnion or a combination of all of them. But at the same time, they have their own internal credit scoring system, where they look at everything about you and give you an internal score. As mortgage brokers, we don’t know what goes into that – they like to keep it mysterious.

The key thing is that some CIS-friendly mortgage lenders will accept a less than perfect credit score and credit history. If some credit blips are causing your score to be low, we have lenders available for that, even if you are CIS and on a visa.

We also have mortgage lenders that don’t actually credit score at all. They do a credit search. That’s really good if you’re on a visa and you don’t have much history in the UK. These lenders understand that you haven’t had much chance to build up your credit score, so they’re just going to look at the data on your credit profile to see if that fits with criteria.

We call these a non-credit scoring lender, and they tend to be smaller building societies.

Do I need a UK credit history to be eligible?

Really, you do need to have something. If you’re a ghost, where a lender can’t find any history of where you’ve been living or your bank accounts, that would be a problem.

Perhaps you’ve only been in the UK for six months, and it’s taken you a month to set up a bank account, find somewhere to live and get some utility bills set up. There’s always a lag between setting these up and them appearing on your credit report – which means you need to be in the UK for a certain amount of time to build up some history.

How much deposit do I need as a CIS contractor on a visa?

If you’re a CIS subcontractor on a visa, the minimum is 5%. Having a 10% or 15% deposit would improve your chances of getting the mortgage approved.

Can I use a gifted deposit as a CIS contractor on a visa?

You can, but the deposit has to be in the UK at the time of applying for the mortgage. If it’s coming from family in another country, the evidence needed to back up your deposit might be quite extensive.

It’s possible, but you’re going to need a lot of paperwork to back it up. Also, the paperwork in some countries compared to Britain may not be as stringent, and I’ve often seen that cause issues on mortgage applications.

Do I need to have indefinite leave to remain?

If you are applying on your own, you would need to have permanent residency, which is the same as indefinite leave to remain. When a visa expires, if there’s no guarantee you’re going to remain in the UK, you’re not going to be able to get a mortgage.

If you’re applying with another person that has full residency in the UK but you don’t, you can still be on that mortgage. So, you don’t have to have indefinite leave to remain as a joint applicant where the other person does have this, or they have British residency.

YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.

Approved by The Openwork Partnership on 05/08/2025.

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If you’re reading this as a Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractor, then you or your partner are probably struggling to find a mortgage right now. We can help.

CIS Visa Mortgage (Part 2)

David Sharpstone continues the conversation on CIS mortgages and visas.

Podcast approved by The Openwork Partnership on 05/08/2025.

Is there a minimum remaining time required on my visa?

I normally tell my clients that they need at least 12 months remaining on their visa before we apply for a mortgage. If not, I would say it’s going to be very difficult to get a mortgage.

Are joint applications allowed if only one applicant is on a visa?

Absolutely. This is where you’re paid through the CIS scheme, you’re looking to buy a property with somebody else, you’re on a visa and the other person isn’t. That’s absolutely fine.

Even if you’ve got less than 12 months left on the visa, we’d probably get a mortgage application approved – because ultimately the other person isn’t on a visa. They might have indefinite leave to remain or be a UK national.

That just gives the lender confidence about getting that mortgage paid. They don’t want you to be in a situation where the visa ends and you have to go back to your home country.

Do mortgages come with higher interest rates if you are a CIS worker on a visa?

No – that would be quite mean, charging people from other countries higher interest rates.
If you’re on a visa and you meet the criteria for a mortgage lender, you can expect to pay the same interest rates as anybody with full residency or a British passport.

How much can I borrow as a CIS worker on a visa?

You should expect to borrow somewhere between 4.5 to 5.5 times your gross CIS salary, before deductions. That’s generally the way that would work.

But the borrowing amount can be reduced if you’ve managed to acquire a lot of debt, although this is unusual if you’re on a visa. The same applies if you have lots of children or a partner that’s financially dependent on you. All these things will pull down the maximum loan amount.

Are there any special deals or fixed rate options available for CIS workers on a visa?

I’m going to disappoint anybody on a visa here. There are no deals available for CIS workers on a visa. Mortgage lenders don’t like to give deals – we know that.

You might get the odd £100 or £200 cash back as a First Time Buyer if you’re lucky, but not a lower interest rate or a large amount of cash.

How long does the application process take?

If you’re a CIS worker on a visa, the mortgage application normally takes between two and three weeks. Sometimes it’s quicker, sometimes it’s slower.

If you’re on a visa, it just means we need a bit more paperwork to show the mortgage lender. But it’s quite minimal, really, and it doesn’t really slow the process down.

Can I get a Decision in Principle before submitting documents?

If you’re thinking about buying a property, you’re on a visa and paid through the CIS scheme, I would always recommend getting a mortgage Agreement in Principle before even looking at properties.

You want to make sure you’re not wasting your own time and getting your hopes up by at least having an invitation to apply for a mortgage. That’s effectively what a Decision in Principle is.

I would certainly be speaking to a mortgage broker – or you’re brave, doing the research yourself to find a lender that meets your circumstances.

What are the most common reasons why a mortgage would be declined as a CIS contractor on a visa?

The most common reason is that there isn’t long enough left on the visa, or it’s not the right type of visa. But these problems wouldn’t happen for my clients – because the first thing we’d do is check the visa and how long is left on it.

However, I have had CIS clients coming to me on a visa who have had their mortgage application declined. It just means we need to place it with the right lender.

What can I do if I’m rejected by a high street lender?

If you’re rejected by a high street lender, you could walk into every high street branch up and down the country and present your information. But that might take you a few months, and in the meantime house prices will have gone up.

Or, you can speak to a mortgage broker that has access to most of the market. We will place you with the right lender according to your status in the UK, your visa, your CIS income and anything else.

How does being newly self-employed affect my chances if I’m on a visa?

If you’re paid through the CIS scheme, you’re newly self-employed and on a visa, we’ve got three things to consider. I’ve got a Venn diagram in my head with these things all overlapping.

As long as you meet the visa status for the lender, with at least one year remaining, the next consideration is that you need to have been in that line of work for at least a year. Let’s say you’ve been a self-employed carpenter on the CIS for the last six months. But six months prior, you were employed as a carpenter. As long as your credit history is OK, I would find a lender to meet that scenario.

You can be newly self-employed as long as you’ve got at least a year’s history in that line of work.

Should I use a specialist mortgage broker? How can you help?

The more things that need to be considered, the more reason there is to use a specialist mortgage broker. If you’re paid through the CIS scheme, that’s already a good reason to speak to a specialist broker.

If you’re also on a visa, that’s another reason to see a specialist. With these two different elements at play, it will be incredibly difficult to do it yourself. A broker that doesn’t deal with visas or CIS will also find it a challenge.

But we are a specialist mortgage broker that deals with CIS workers in the UK on a work visa. We’d love to help you achieve your goals.