Can I get a personal loan as a non-citizen?

Most U.S. personal-loan lenders require permanent U.S. residency and a Social Security number. Permanent residents are usually treated identically to citizens once they have established U.S. credit history.

For visa holders, fintech lenders like Stilt and SoFi (in some cases) underwrite using alternative data (education, employment, country-of-origin credit) for borrowers without a long U.S. credit file. Approval is realistic for H-1B and L-1 visa holders with stable U.S. employment but uncommon for short-term visa categories.

ITIN-only borrowers (no SSN) face the tightest constraints. Some credit unions and community-development financial institutions (CDFIs) lend to ITIN borrowers, but options are narrow.