Reviewed by Sana Hosseini, Medical Mortgage Broker and Australian Credit Representative 371443.
Potentially—but the answer depends on the lender’s current written policy, your registration status, hospital employment, deposit and full credit assessment. “Doctor” does not have one universal definition across every professional home-loan policy. This distinction is especially important early in a medical career.
Why stage of training matters
An intern, resident, registrar and specialist may all work in medicine, yet their registration and employment arrangements differ. One lender may explicitly include hospital-employed junior doctors; another may require a particular registration category. You should not assume that an advertised “doctor LMI waiver” applies to every medical practitioner.
For example, Westpac’s published healthcare policy lists hospital-employed doctors—including interns, residents and registrars—in one of its professional LMI-waiver categories. By contrast, ANZ’s medical and dental practitioner fact sheet says its policy requires registration it can verify on the Ahpra register and excludes several registration types, including provisional and limited registration, subject to its stated exceptions. These examples show why a profession label alone cannot settle eligibility; they do not show which policy is available or suitable for you today.
What else the lender will assess
Meeting an occupation rule is only one gate. The lender may check the required deposit and LVR, property and loan limits, income, expenses, credit history and existing debts. A roster with overtime or on-call pay also needs evidence of consistency. An LMI waiver is not a guarantee of a particular rate or borrowing limit, and avoiding the premium is not the same as finding the lowest total-cost loan.
ASIC Moneysmart explains that LMI protects the lender, not the borrower, and suggests asking a broker how it could be avoided. Ask for a side-by-side comparison of any waiver option against other suitable loans, including interest, fees and features.
Prepare a junior doctor’s evidence pack
- Confirm your current registration status through Ahpra and provide any lender-requested evidence.
- Keep your hospital employment letter, contract and recent payslips together.
- Separate base salary from overtime, penalties and allowances; show a representative period.
- Explain any upcoming rotation, contract renewal or change of hospital with signed documentation where available.
- List your deposit, other debts and household expenses honestly.
Before lodging a formal application, ask the broker to obtain the relevant lender’s current eligibility wording and identify any condition that is uncertain. This is more useful than relying on a general online list of “banks for doctors”.
Questions worth asking
- Does the current policy specifically include my career stage and registration type?
- Must I be hospital-employed, and for how long?
- What deposit, LVR and property conditions apply?
- How will my variable income be assessed?
- Is this still competitive after rates, fees and features are compared?
See home loans for doctors for broader doctor lending guidance, or book a broker appointment to discuss your actual stage of training.General information only. Lender policies quoted as examples were checked on 30 September 2026 and may change. Eligibility and approval require individual assessment;
Check your career stage before counting on a waiver
A broker can test current policies, deposit limits and income evidence for your training stage.
Two-minute self-check
Frequently asked questions
Does being an intern rule out an LMI waiver?
Not necessarily across every lender, but some published policies impose career-stage conditions. Check the current rule before applying.
Is an LMI waiver the same as pre-approval?
No. It addresses one potential cost; the lender still assesses the full application.