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Gen H survey.

ended 02. June 2026

Empty the Crunchy Nuts into your Brabantia bins and send us your thoughts on this survey, please.

44% of brokers anticipate increase in foreign national cases in the next 12 months according to Gen H survey

A recent survey by residential mortgage lender Gen H has found that mortgage brokers on its panel expect an imminent uptick in mortgage enquiries involving a foreign national – someone who was born outside the UK. 

44% of respondents expected a slight or significant increase in foreign national enquiries over the next 12 months; 37% of respondents reported already experiencing a slight or significant increase in foreign national business over the past 12 months. The survey was completed by 295 brokers on Gen H’s panel. 

Brokers who already specialise in foreign national business were more likely to report a significant increase. This trend reflects the maturation of the cohort who immigrated to the UK after the expansion of the Skilled Worker visa route in 2022. Four years on, they have the credit history and the deposit saved to set down roots – but the hard part isn’t over.

Foreign nationals often face extra barriers to homeownership: mortgage lenders often impose extra restrictions on eligibility and maximum loans. Mortgage lenders also typically require those born outside the UK to hold at least two years’ UK credit and address history; the typical foreign national mortgage product also requires at least a 25% deposit. 

Sara Palmer, Sales and Distribution Director at Gen H, said, “These are telling numbers. It is very exciting that so many people who moved to the UK a few years ago are ready to buy a property and truly call this country home. We are already seeing this trend in action at Gen H, where nearly one-third of our applications have at least one foreign national applicant. Many lenders deem these aspiring homeowners to be inherently risky, but we know and mortgage brokers know that this isn’t necessarily true – they are as creditworthy as people who are born here. As more foreign nationals begin exploring mortgage options, it will be up to brokers to make sure they’ve got lenders on hand who will work with them to say ‘yes’.”

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Hannah Vandervennin
Director - Mortgage Adviser at The Mortgage Consultancy
Yes, we're seeing exactly this uptick, and it makes complete sense. But there's a contradiction underneath it. As a country we asked these people to come and fill skilled roles we couldn't fill ourselves. Then the moment they want to stay and buy a home, the mortgage market treats them as a risk.
It rarely holds up. Someone three or four years in, settled job, clean credit, real deposit, gets turned down not because anything's wrong, but because they're a year short on UK address history or don't clear an arbitrary deposit bar. The form says no. The person in front of you is a clear yes.
That's the bit the industry keeps getting wrong. "Doesn't fit the standard criteria" has quietly come to mean "risky", and they're not the same thing. Creditworthiness was never really the question. Fit was.
The good news is the lenders who understand this borrower exist. They're just not the obvious ones. A no from the high street is the start of the conversation, not the end of it.
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Editor
Justin Moy
Managing Director at EHF Mortgages
The profile of Foreign Nationals has changed significantly over the last decade or so, and this research by Gen H just confirms what most brokers have observed for several years. It's no surprise that many lenders have already rewritten their criteria recently to attract more applications. We have enough lenders who will consider deposits as low as 5% with Indefinite Leave to Remain, or 10% without.