The number of Africans applying for a UK mortgage is falling as foreign nationals struggle to navigate the UK home loan system, according to research by Afin Bank.
The specialist lender surveyed 500 Africans living and working in the UK on a valid visa and compared its findings with similar research the bank carried out in 2025.
Afin found that 38% had a mortgage in 2026, compared with 48% in 2025, and 20% had applied for a mortgage in the last 18 months, down from 38%.
24% planned to apply for a mortgage in the next 18 months, compared with 36% in 2025, and 23% were planning to remortgage, down from 31% last year.
When respondents were asked what the barriers were to applying for a mortgage now or in the past, Afin found that 22% were concerned they would be rejected because of their nationality, compared with 24% in 2025.
22% were worried their lack of UK credit history would be a problem, a similar proportion to last year (20%).
16% were concerned they would be turned down because of their visa status, although this was higher at 28% in 2025.
15% were worried they would be rejected because of non-standard income, such as self-employment or multiple income streams, and 19% were worried UK lenders would not accept a gifted deposit or overseas funds towards their deposit, a new question for 2026.
Half (56%) of the African nationals living and working in this country told Afin they felt excluded from UK financial services, including 65% who were doctors.
39% said that not being able to buy their own home would be a barrier to them wanting to put down roots in the UK – and this rose to 77% among doctors.
32% said it would make them want to leave the UK in the short to medium-term, increasing to 44% among respondents who were nurses and 80% among social workers.
27% said they would not want to stay in the UK for the long-term if they couldn’t get a mortgage and 34% felt the difficult mortgage situation would discourage skilled people from overseas coming to the UK.
Tippie Malgwi, head of diaspora banking for Afin Bank, said: “These are people working in the UK, usually in important sectors such as healthcare or in well-paying professionals roles, but are effectively being excluded from getting a mortgage because they don’t fit the rigid criteria that many mainstream lenders apply.
“For example, some lenders demand that applicants have a longer period of time left on their visas, or they reject applicants because they don’t have several years of UK credit history. That is why Afin Bank was created as we know the demand is there from foreign nationals. It is our mission to help them get a mortgage to show them that they are valued and welcome in the UK.”
