Although there are legal and financial barriers to overcome, the fact is that illegal immigrants can buy a home in the United States. According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than 3.4 million undocumented immigrants owned a home in 2014. This represents 31 percent of all undocumented immigrants in the United States, or nearly one-third.
They also pay taxes on these houses. Despite the rhetoric that undocumented immigrants receive social assistance but do not pay taxes, the data show that this is not the case. The Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy has analyzed the above data on property ownership of undocumented immigrants and estimated that undocumented immigrants contribute $3.6 billion to property taxes alone.
How do undocumented immigrants buy houses?
There is no law that states that non-U.S. residents cannot own property in the United States. In fact, foreign investors and business people often own homes and real estate in the United States, just as their fellow Americans may own property in other countries.
Buying a home in any country requires considerable resources, and while these resources are generally not available to undocumented immigrants, this does not mean that illegal immigrants cannot own property in the United States.
Some undocumented immigrants can simply buy houses in cash, but most use a less well-known investment vehicle called an ITIN mortgage. However, non-immigrants can also get an ITIN to open a bank account, pay their income taxes and get a mortgage.
Below we detail the typical procedure for undocumented immigrants who wish to obtain a mortgage and start owning a house. Although there are legal and financial obstacles to overcome, the possibility of home ownership for undocumented immigrants exists.
