"By extending our product criteria to accept UK visa holders, we’re helping skilled individuals put down roots and participate further in UK life"
- Paul Adams - Pepper Money
Pepper Money has updated its lending criteria to allow income from UK visa holders to be included in affordability assessments for residential mortgages, up to 75% loan-to-value (LTV). The move is part of the lender’s ongoing focus on inclusive lending, aiming to support individuals with valid UK visas who have established residence and employment in the country.
Income from visa holders will now be considered across Pepper’s full residential product range, including both purchase and remortgage applications. This applies in cases where at least one applicant has a permanent right to reside in the UK.
The change is expected to benefit a wide range of applicants, including healthcare workers, skilled professionals, and those on specialist or family visas. Pepper will accept applicants on the following visa types, subject to full affordability checks and supporting documentation:
Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa (for existing holders only)
Skilled Worker Visa (formerly Tier 2)
Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
Health and Care Worker Visa
Family Visa
To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate a minimum of two years’ UK employment history and three years of UK address history. They must also reside in the UK at the time of application.
Pepper emphasised that foreign national applications will be assessed on the same affordability principles as standard cases. Visa evidence must be provided, and all applicants will undergo the lender’s standard affordability assessment.
“As the UK continues to attract international talent across sectors like tech, healthcare and academia, it's vital that our financial system evolves to support those contributing to the economy,” said Paul Adams, sales director at Pepper Money. “By extending our product criteria to accept UK visa holders, we’re helping skilled individuals put down roots and participate further in UK life.”
He continued, “At Pepper Money, we take an inclusive approach to lending, and these changes to our criteria attest to this. Enhancing our proposition to include income from UK visa holders in our affordability assessments ensures that hard-working individuals on eligible visas, who contribute to the UK economy and have established roots, aren’t excluded from homeownership.”
“This isn’t just about expanding access, it’s about creating a fairer, more inclusive mortgage market,” Adams added. “We’re working closely with brokers to provide more options for their just-off-high-street customers, deliver market-leading service, competitive rates, and certainty of price for a significant portion of the market who are in a good position to accept this finance, but would otherwise have been overlooked.”
