Canada Student Loans - Medical and parental leave

This leave is for people who have a Canada Student Loan and need to take a break from their studies. The break can be for the following:

• medical reasons
• mental health reasons
• after welcoming a child

You do not have to make payments on your loan during your leave.

The leave applies to federal student loans, and provincial student loans from:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Saskatchewan
• British Columbia
• Manitoba

For borrowers from anywhere else in Canada, contact your province or territory.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• be a full-time or part-time student, or be in your 6-month non-repayment period
• have withdrawn from studies or taken a leave from studies and informed your school
• if you were previously on leave and have returned to school, have been back to school for at least 30 days, and
• your last day of school must be on or after October 1, 2020

For medical leave

• Have a health care provider confirm that your medical situation interferes with your studies

For parental leave

• Show that you have become a parent or legal guardian

Note: When you finish or leave school, your loan enters a 6-month non-repayment period. If you plan to return to school in less than 6 months, you do not need to apply for this benefit. Just remember to confirm your enrolment when you return to school.

Apply

Before you apply, let your school know that you are taking leave from your studies.

You will need to apply within 6 months of the end of your most recent period of study, and 12 months after having a medical issue or becoming a parent.

To extend or apply for leave:

Contact the NSLSC to receive a paper application to apply by mail if you are unable to download the forms.

If applying for medical leave, or changing from parental to medical leave, complete section A of the attestation form. Have a medical professional complete and sign section B of the form.

Note: For full-time students taking leave, the benefit will apply to both your full-time and part-time student loans. For part-time students, the benefit will apply to your part-time student loans.

How long you can be on leave

Borrowers can be on leave for up to 6 months. At the end of this period, you can apply to extend your leave for 6 more months if needed.

Your leave starts on the first day of the month following your last day of school. You will not have to make payments on your loan from your last day of school to the beginning of your leave.

There is no lifetime limit on the leave, but you cannot be on leave more than 18 months at a time. If you do return to school, you need to return for at least 30 days to be eligible to apply for another leave.

Extending your leave

You can extend your leave twice, for 6 months at a time, up to a maximum of 18 months.

To extend your leave, apply within the following time periods:

• 30 days before the end of your leave, and
• 30 days after the end of your leave

After your leave ends

When you return to school, make sure to let the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) know so that your loan will stay payment-free.

If you can't return to school, you don't have to make loan payments for 6 months after your leave ends. After this, your payments will restart.

When on leave, you can go back to school at any time. There is no penalty for returning to school early.