The expat lending desk that actually tracks the policy.
Which banks lend to expats changes month to month. So does how they treat your currency, your visa, and your postcode. We've kept a running map of it since 2004 — and we use it to tell you, before you make an offer, exactly what's achievable.
Expat lending isn't a different form. It's a different body of knowledge.
Most brokers send the same application to a lender that quietly stopped doing expat loans last quarter. Here's the kind of detail that decides your outcome — and that we track for a living.
Every lender haircuts foreign income differently
Some discount overseas income by 20%. Some only accept certain currencies. Some want it landing in an Australian account. The same salary produces materially different borrowing capacity depending on who you apply to.
Citizen, PR and temporary resident are three different applications
Australian citizens abroad, permanent residents, and temporary-visa holders are assessed under different policies, LVR caps and pricing. The structure is set by your category — get it wrong and the file stalls.
Your postcode changes your maximum LVR
Banks tier Australian postcodes by risk. A coastal or regional address can be capped lower than a metro suburb — for the identical borrower. For non-residents the cap usually sits at 80%, sometimes 90%, and it's postcode-specific.
A lender's expat appetite is a moving target
Banks tighten and loosen non-resident policy with their capital position and the rate cycle. A lender that declined you last year may be actively chasing expat business now — and vice versa.
"I'm in finance — I know this. But Phil had information I simply couldn't access: which bank has discretionary pricing this week, which lender suits expat income right now, how to structure things so you keep options later. That's not something you can replicate."
The scenarios we navigate most weeks
Each one needs a different lender and a different structure. If another broker told you it's too complicated, it usually isn't — it just needs someone who's done it before.
Buying remotely to hold
Investing in Australia while based overseas on PAYG foreign income — often partly in another currency.
Planning to return
Securing property 1–3 years before you move home. How it's set up now decides your options when it becomes your residence.
Self-employed overseas
Running a business or contracting abroad. Documentation is strict and presentation matters enormously.
Own property, now non-resident
You bought as a resident and have moved offshore. Lender attitude shifts once you're a non-resident for tax — often restructurable.
Returning expat purchase
Buying before you land back in Australia. Timing, a local job offer, and time offshore all change the assessment.
Foreign spouse or partner
A non-resident co-borrower adds FIRB considerations and mixed-residency policy — all of which we structure for.
We teach this publicly. Every week.
Virginia hosts Property & Mortgage Insights Australia — a podcast dedicated to how lending decisions are actually made, and why two similar borrowers get different outcomes. Expat lending is a recurring theme, discussed with Steve Hare, who has lived these scenarios for 15 years. Brokers who can explain the policy on the record tend to be the ones who know it cold.
Property & Mortgage Insights Australia
Hosted by Virginia Graham Riches — former ANZ interest rate dealer, mortgage broker since 2004.
The questions we hear most often
Can I borrow as an Australian living overseas?
Yes — though the lender options are narrower than for residents. The variables that decide it are your residency type (citizen, PR, temporary), your income currency, your employer type (PAYG vs self-employed), and whether you'll owner-occupy or invest. We know which lenders work for each combination right now.
How is my overseas income assessed?
It depends entirely on the lender. Some apply a haircut (commonly 20%), some require specific currencies, some simply want to see regular transfers to an Australian account. Because each treats it differently, the right lender choice can change your borrowing capacity substantially — which is the whole point of matching you carefully.
What LVR can I borrow at?
Non-resident lending is generally capped around 80% LVR, with some lenders going to 90% in specific circumstances — and it's postcode-dependent. Higher-risk postcodes can reduce the cap. We confirm the achievable LVR for your exact property and profile before you make an offer.
Do I have to come back to Australia to sign?
Usually not. Most documents can be signed overseas before an Australian consul or notary, or via certified digital means. Some lenders still want originals couriered — we tell you precisely what yours requires.
Why does a specialist matter for this specifically?
Because the answer changes constantly. Banks revise their expat appetite with regulation, rate cycles and their own capital position. Staying current on who's open, on what terms, for which currency and visa — that's the work. It's exactly what we track, and why clients who could arrange their own finance still come to us.
Get an honest read on what's achievable — before you commit to a property.
Tell us your country, your income and your visa status. We'll tell you which lenders suit you right now and what your real LVR and capacity look like.