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Windsor-Essex

Buying a home as a newcomer

The rules that apply to a first purchase in Ontario are different depending on your immigration status, and several of them changed recently. These pages set out what the law and the federal agencies currently say, cite where each statement comes from, and date it.

Harjeet works in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu.

Who may buy

Can a newcomer buy a home in Canada right now?

Canada has a federal law restricting home purchases by non-Canadians, with a long list of exceptions. This sets out what it says today, who it does and does not apply to, and how it lands in Windsor-Essex specifically.

  • Who the federal prohibition treats as a "non-Canadian"
  • The exceptions for work permit holders, students, protected persons and spouses
  • Why the "outside a city" exception does not help anywhere in Windsor-Essex

Checked against source on August 10, 2026 · 7 sources

Mortgages and money

Mortgages when your credit history is in another country

A Canadian lender cannot see the fifteen years of repayment history you built before you arrived. This sets out what the published rules say about down payments, default insurance and how creditworthiness can be established without a Canadian file.

  • Why a credit file does not travel across a border, and what does
  • The published minimum down payment rules, by price band
  • What CMHC's newcomer product says about credit scores and alternative documents

Checked against source on August 10, 2026 · 5 sources

Taxes and costs

What a newcomer pays on top of the price in Ontario

Two Ontario taxes turn on immigration status — a 25% speculation tax that applies province-wide, and a first-time buyer refund that non-citizens cannot claim at closing. Both have rebates with deadlines.

  • The Non-Resident Speculation Tax is 25% and applies anywhere in Ontario
  • The exemptions, and the permanent resident rebate's four-year and 180-day deadlines
  • Why the first-time buyer land transfer tax refund can be claimed late but not at closing

Checked against source on August 10, 2026 · 5 sources

Who you work with

Who you work with, and how to check they are licensed

Four different regulators cover the people involved in a first purchase in Ontario. Each publishes a way to check someone is licensed, and using an unauthorized paid immigration representative can cost you your application.

  • How to confirm a real estate professional is registered with RECO
  • Why a REALTOR® must see your identification before acting for you
  • Who is allowed to be paid to represent you on an immigration application

Checked against source on August 10, 2026 · 6 sources

Elsewhere on this site

Harjeet Singh, REALTOR® · Jump Realty