Lending to a Non-US resident

[George Bailey]

Hi all! 

I am new to the BP community and looking for some advice from you friendly people! First, let me quickly give you some background. I am British and have been working in the US for almost 2 years. I am currently on a work visa (L1B to be exact) and at the start of the employer sponsored green card process. 

My plan is to house hack a small 3/4 unit multi-family next spring/summer, preferably with a 5% down conventional loan along with some PMI (assuming the figures work). Why the wait? 2.5 reasons (1) I want to learn as much as possible before diving in i.e. research, building out a local network & team etc. (2) I am at the start of my green card process so I want to ensure that it is well underway beforehand! (2.5) I am tied into a lease until next summer (I could easily sublet).

My questions for you are:

1) Is it possible to attain a conventional loan on a work visa (I believe it is after some research but I wanted to check with the community) and does anyone have experience in doing so?

2) What can I do in the meantime to increase my chances of the bank saying "yes" when the time comes (if different to a US resident)? Generally, will 2.5yrs of US credit history be enough in my specific case (assuming everything else is in check)?

Thank you in advance!