Can you get a help to buy scheme with a tier 2 visa?

Can you get a help to buy scheme with a tier 2 visa?

In theory, yes. The help to buy scheme is for residents of the UK and if you can prove you are a UK resident based on the amount of time you spend in the UK with your tier 2 visa then you should be able to prove your eligibility for the help to buy scheme.

What is the help to buy scheme?

The help to but schemes are a bunch of government schemes put together by the UK government to help more first-time buyers and home movers get on the property ladder faster and at a more affordable rate.

The help to buy scheme includes but is not limited to:

What do you need to be eligible for the help to buy scheme?

Well for the two main schemes (the help to buy equity loan and the shared ownership scheme you will need to meet certain requirements to be eligible for them)

So regardless of if you have a tier 2 visa or not you will need to meet this eligibility requirements.

To be eligible for the help to buy equity loan you will need:

• a minimum of 5% for your mortgage deposit
• You cannot purchase a buy to let property
• You cannot rent out any part of the help to buy property
• Your property cannot be more than £600,000
• You must be a first-time buyer or a home mover with no other property in the world.
• You cannot have any overdue payments on any loans, any county court judgments (CCJs) against you for more than £500 nor can you have a bankruptcy on your credit file within the last 3 years.
• You can only use a standard repayment mortgage, you won’t be able to use any unique type of mortgage such as a guarantor mortgage or offset mortgage.
• You cannot use any other Government schemes with your help to buy scheme aside from a help to buy ISA.

• To have an annual maximum household income of £80,000 outside London & £90,000 in London
• A monthly income which is at least 65% more than the monthly cost of the shared ownership property you intend to purchase. This, of course, depends on the price of the property and how much you want to purchase(which will directly affect the rent you pay).
• A 5% mortgage deposit is usually a good guide
• You should not be able to afford the home on the open market
• You should have at least £4,000 to cover the costs of the mortgage and transaction. This is a guide.
• You should have a good credit file without any CCJ, recent credit defaults, IVA or bankruptcy order.
• You should be a first-time buyer but if you do own a home you should be in the process of selling it and would need to have sold it before you will be eligible for a new shared ownership property.

Why a tier 2 visa may stop you from accessing the Governments help to buy scheme?

The governments help to buy scheme finding is very limited and you may find that after filling in a help to buy property information form as part of the application process you may end up being denied for the help to buy schemes.

This may not necessarily have much to do with your eligibility but the regional help to buy agency just putting a preference on naturalised citizens of the UK and by default looking to avoid any situations where it may not already be clear that the help to buy applicant will be eligible for the help to buy scheme.

Even if you get accepted for the help to buy scheme you may then get rejected by the help to buy mortgage lender as they may struggle to prove your income or complete eligibility for the mortgage.

Note: The help to buy scheme makes no specific mention of tier 2 visas. This article has been put together based on research from information put out by the help to buy agency

If you need financial advice and you live in the UK then you could contact the Money Advice service over the phone or via chat for impartial advice.

You can also contact the debt charity “Step Change” if you are in debt and need help.