FREE INTERACTIVE TOOL
Can you buy a home in Canada yet? Your newcomer mortgage answer starts here.
There's a law that confuses almost every newcomer, and good news hiding inside it. Tell us your situation and get a clear, personal answer to the three questions that actually matter.
Step 1 · Your situation
Which best describes you?
This is the single biggest factor. Pick the closest fit, you can refine the details next.
How long have you been in Canada?
How long have you been in Canada?
Validity left on your work permit at purchase?
Have you already bought a home during the ban (since Jan 2023)?
Your answers
Here's where you stand on a newcomer mortgage
Question 1
Can you legally buy?
Question 2
How much down payment?
Target home price
Estimated minimum down
$0
Question 3
What about credit history?
Educational estimate only. This is not an approval, a commitment or a personalised recommendation. Your actual payment, qualification, fees and penalties depend on the lender’s terms and on verified information. Talk to us before you act on these numbers.
Step 2 · Get ready
Your document head-start
Readiness checklist
What lenders will want to see
Newcomer programs are flexible on credit, but they love a tidy file. Tick what you already have, the gaps are easy wins to work on before you apply.
How this tool works
The method behind the newcomer estimate
Newcomer mortgage options depend far more on individual lender policy than on regulation, which is why a general answer is usually the wrong answer. This tool maps your situation to the questions a lender will ask.
What actually determines your options
- Status. Permanent resident, work permit and other statuses are treated differently, and the differences are lender-specific rather than universal.
- Time in Canada and credit history. A thin or absent Canadian credit file is normal for a newcomer and is not a barrier by itself. Lenders have programs for exactly this.
- Down payment source. Funds arriving from outside Canada need a clear paper trail, and this is the most common cause of delay on newcomer files.
- Income documentation. How long you have been with a Canadian employer, and whether income is salaried, hourly or contract.
What this tool cannot tell you
- Any fixed down payment percentage. Minimums vary by program, status and property. Treat any single number you read online as a starting assumption, not a rule.
- Which lender will say yes. Newcomer programs differ substantially between lenders and insurers, and matching the file to the right one is most of the work.
- What documents you will need. This depends on the program and is worth establishing before you start viewing homes.
Educational estimate only, not an approval or a commitment. Lender and insurer programs change. Reviewed 30 August 2026 by Fusion Mortgage Group, a team of licensed mortgage brokers with BRX Mortgage Inc., Mortgage Brokerage #13463.
Next step
New to Canada and ready to buy?
There are programs built for exactly your situation. Tell us how long you have been here and what you have saved, and we will map the path.
Want the full picture? Read our guide for newcomers to Canada