As an immigrant, one of the problems I had to deal with was building my credit. Without any credit history, I had a hard time applying for loans and credit cards. Even potential landlords and employers check one’s credit history and credit score. Credit scores are really important when you are just starting up in America (even when Dave Ramsey says otherwise).
It is good to know that there are companies that allow those people without credit or poor credit to obtain loans and lines of credit with them. I was able to avail of a credit card from Capital One without annual fees when they still had a program for new immigrants who are building credit.
As for auto loans, I’ve read about a company that specialize in easy financing for all credit scores, AsankaCars, and you can read more about their program in this article: car finance for bad credit rating. They can even finance their clients on luxury cars even if they had bankruptcy, short sales, repossessions, or are self employed. They are selling pre-owned luxury vehicles and can ship these cars all over the country.
Obtaining a mortgage though will take a while because banks require a lot of documentation and at least a credit score of 620 before even considering your application for a mortgage loan. A good way to go is to build your credit first and I did mine by availing of a credit card, using only 10% or less of the credit line and paying it promptly. A great way to build credit for mortgages and other loans is a car loan.
There are other companies that cater to persons without credit like new immigrants. You just need to consider all the fees and rates before considering their offers.
