New to Canada. Not new to money.
You landed with savings, you're earning, and a bank told you to come back in two years. That advice is out of date. Newcomer mortgage programs exist for exactly your file — and the clock you're waiting on may already have run.
What it is
Several lenders run dedicated newcomer programs: reduced Canadian credit-history requirements when you bring verifiable income and a documented down payment. Some accept alternatives to a credit file entirely — rent history, utility payments, international credit reports. The exact mix is program-specific and changes, which is why we don't publish a checklist that goes stale; we map your file against what's current.
What every program cares about, in some proportion: your status and how long it runs, months of Canadian employment, where the down payment came from and how long it's been sitting in your accounts, and whatever credit signal exists — Canadian or otherwise. Notice what's not on that list: five years of waiting.
Who it's for
You hold PR or a work permit and landed within the last few years. Your household earns real income — eighteen months in, most families we meet do — but the file was built somewhere else. Or one bank already said no, and you took a single branch's criteria as the whole country's answer. It isn't.
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Typical figures, not any lender's rule — programs differ and change. Not an approval, not advice. Qualification always applies. Verify current criteria with your lender.
What disqualifies you
- No verifiable income in Canada yet. Then the first pay stub starts the clock, and the planner shows exactly what each month after it unlocks.
- Down-payment funds that can't be traced on paper. Then move the money early and keep every record — lenders trace the trail, and a clean one takes about 90 days to season. We'll walk you through the paperwork.
- A permit expiring soon with no renewal in motion. Then renewal comes first. Remaining status duration is part of the file, and sequencing it right saves months.
The first step
Give the planner your landing date, status, income, and savings. It hands back a month-by-month roadmap to mortgage-ready — with a halal track if that's how your money needs to work. Then, if you want, we take the roadmap and run it with you.
Questions people actually ask
Do I really need two years of Canadian credit history?
Not necessarily. Newcomer programs at several lenders accept shorter histories or alternatives — rent payments, utilities, international credit reports. Requirements are program-specific, and qualification always applies.
Does a work permit qualify, or only PR?
Both can, under different programs with different conditions — remaining permit duration matters for work-permit files. The planner maps this against your status.
Can I use money from overseas for the down payment?
Commonly yes, if it's documentable. Lenders trace where funds came from and how long they've sat in your accounts. Transfer early, keep the paper trail, and the money works.
One bank already said no. Is that final?
No. One bank's no is that bank's criteria, not the market's. The same file, packaged properly, can land differently at different lenders — packaging files is a large part of what we do.