Home Loans for DACA Recipients
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status makes you eligible for conventional financing. Not every lender knows that, and not every loan program allows it.
Quick answer
Saxton Mortgage does. At least one conventional program we offer lists DACA recipients as eligible with proof of legal status, including a valid Employment Authorization Document card. On another program, an Employment Authorization Document in category C33, the DACA category, is eligible on files run through Fannie Mae’s automated system but not Freddie Mac’s.
DACA recipients are eligible borrowers
It is written into the guidelines. It just is not written into every program.
- Conventional financing lists DACA recipients as eligible with proof of legal status, including a valid Employment Authorization Document card.
- The employment authorization category used for DACA is accepted in place of a visa on at least one program.
- Conventional programs cover primary residences, second homes, and investment properties.
- Standard conventional purchase and refinance transactions are both available.
- A valid Social Security Number and an established United States credit history are required on the programs that accept DACA status.
- The card has to be unexpired at closing. If it expires within six months of application, renewal or extension documentation is required.
Conventional agency programs
Employment authorization documents
Valid Social Security Number
Primary, second home, investment
Purchase and refinance
Renewal timing handled
What The Guidelines Actually Say
DACA is treated as its own category, separate from visa holders and separate from permanent residents.
A visa-based borrower proves status with a passport and an unexpired visa from an enumerated list. DACA recipients hold no visa, which is why programs built around a visa list simply have no place to put you. The programs that work are the ones naming DACA directly, or accepting the employment authorization category tied to it.
The documentation is specific. One program names three acceptable forms: the Employment Authorization Document itself referencing the DACA category code, an approval notice conveying approval of the employment authorization application referencing that same code, or the application form showing approval status in the action block. That level of specificity is a good thing. It means there is a defined path rather than an underwriter improvising.
The card expiring is the most common practical problem. Guidelines require it to be unexpired at closing, and if it expires within six months of application, you need evidence you applied for an extension or a letter from your employer confirming continued sponsorship. Renewal timing and closing timing need to be coordinated from day one, not discovered at the last minute.
Where DACA borrowers get turned away
Six reasons a strong file gets declined, and what to do about each.
The Loan Officer Did Not Know
This is the most common reason and the least justified. Conventional guidelines name DACA recipients as eligible in plain language. A lender who says it is not possible is describing their own programs, not the rules.
The Wrong Loan Type Was Chosen
Several jumbo and non-conforming programs in our guidelines list non-permanent residents or DACA recipients as ineligible borrowers. If you need a loan above conventional limits, that is a different conversation with a shorter list of lenders.
Government Loans Are A Different Story
Government loan channels have restricted non-permanent residents based on case assignment date, and the rural housing program lists specific employment authorization categories that do not include the DACA category. Conventional is where the documented path lives.
The Work Permit Was Close To Expiring
Six months is the threshold that triggers extra documentation. Renewing early, and keeping the receipt notice, removes the single biggest timing risk in the file.
United States Credit History Was Thin
The programs that accept DACA status also require established United States credit. If your credit file is young, building it deliberately for a year before applying changes what is available to you.
Equity Lines Need A Review
At least one home equity line program we offer accepts non-permanent residents with established U.S. credit. It does not name DACA, so have your file reviewed first. A first mortgage is the more common route.
Hear From Homeowners Like You
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions DACA recipients ask us.
Saxton Mortgage does. At least one conventional program we offer lists DACA recipients as eligible with proof of legal status, including a valid Employment Authorization Document card. On another program, an Employment Authorization Document in category C33, the DACA category, is eligible on files run through Fannie Mae’s automated system but not Freddie Mac’s.
Yes. Conventional guidelines state that DACA recipients are eligible with proof of legal status, including a valid Employment Authorization Document card. The constraint is which programs, not whether it is possible.
The Employment Authorization Document referencing the DACA category code, an approval notice for the employment authorization application referencing that code, or the application form showing approval in the action block. Bring whichever you have and we will tell you if it is sufficient.
On the conventional programs that accept DACA status, yes, along with established United States credit history. There is a separate program path built around an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, and it is limited to a primary residence on a purchase or rate and term refinance.
Not necessarily, but act now. Guidelines require the card to be unexpired at closing and require renewal or extension documentation when it expires within six months of application. File the renewal, keep the receipt, and we work the timeline around it.
Those channels are restricted for non-permanent residents in our guidelines, and the rural housing program lists specific employment authorization categories that do not include the DACA category. Conventional financing is the documented path.
On conventional programs the occupancy options include primary residences, second homes, and investment properties. The DACA eligibility language sits in the borrower section, not the occupancy section.
VA guidelines specifically state that veterans with DACA status are eligible. Eligibility still runs through the Certificate of Eligibility like any other VA loan.
Yes. A DACA recipient can buy a house with a conventional mortgage. The conventional guidelines Saxton lends under list DACA recipients as eligible borrowers when they can show a valid Employment Authorization Document, a Social Security Number and an established United States credit history. The loan can be a purchase or a refinance, and the home can be a primary residence, a second home or an investment property. Saxton is licensed in 41 states, including California, Texas, Florida, Arizona and Nevada, and we walk DACA borrowers through the documentation on the first call.
Yes. As of 2026 the conventional guidelines we lend under treat DACA recipients as eligible borrowers, and the requirements are the ones described on this page: an unexpired Employment Authorization Document at closing, renewal or extension paperwork if the card expires within six months of your application, a Social Security Number and United States credit history. The date that matters is the expiration date printed on your card, not the calendar year, so if your card is coming up for renewal, file it now and keep the receipt.
There is no separate product called a DACA loan. A DACA conventional loan is a standard conventional mortgage on which the borrower documents legal status with the DACA Employment Authorization Document instead of a green card or a visa. Beyond that, the file is underwritten like any other conventional loan: income, credit, assets and the property. FHA and USDA are restricted for DACA borrowers under our guidelines, and VA is open to veterans with DACA status, so for most DACA buyers the conventional loan is the path, and it is the one we quote first.
Find out what you qualify for
Send us a copy of your work authorization and we will tell you, before you fill out an application, which programs are open to you and what the file needs. No guessing, and no being told it cannot be done by someone who has not read the guidelines.
Get Pre-QualifiedBorrower eligibility for DACA recipients varies by loan program and investor and is subject to change. Several jumbo, non-conforming, non-qualified mortgage, and second lien programs list DACA recipients or non-permanent residents as ineligible borrowers. Documentation, credit, and Social Security Number requirements apply. Saxton Mortgage is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of any government agency. Not all applicants will qualify. This is not a commitment to lend.