Canada Student Loan Forgiveness - Overview

On this page

• Overview
• How much you could receive
• Eligibility
• Apply

Overview

The Government of Canada offers Canada Student Loan Forgiveness to borrowers who work in eligible occupations in eligible communities. This helps ensure more Canadians get the services they deserve.

Loan forgiveness can only be applied to the outstanding part of your federal student loan. It does not apply to the provincial or territorial part of your loan.

Note: Your province or territory may also offer loan forgiveness. For more information contact your province or territory.

How much you could receive

Over a maximum of 5 years, you could receive up to:

$30,000 for nurses or nurse practitioners

• Year 1: $4,000
• Year 2: $5,000
• Year 3: $6,000
• Year 4: $7,000
• Year 5: $8,000

$60,000 for family doctors or residents in family medicine

• Year 1: $8,000
• Year 2: $10,000
• Year 3: $12,000
• Year 4: $14,000
• Year 5: $16,000

Note: Loan forgiveness will apply to your loan's principal balance after the end of your 12 months of service. You will have to keep making your payments.

Your 5 years of service do not have to be consecutive. If you have a Canada Student Loan balance at the end of each year of service in an eligible community, you can qualify for loan forgiveness for 5 years.

Eligibility

You can apply for Canada Student Loan Forgiveness while you are in study. You can also apply if you are in repayment or in your 6-month non-repayment period.

To qualify, you need to have:

• worked in an eligible occupation
• worked in an eligible community
• been employed in your eligible occupation for a full year (12 consecutive months)
• provided in-person services for a minimum of 400 hours (does not apply to residents in family medicine), and
• have a student loan that is in good standing (must be up to date on your payments)

Once you have worked in an eligible occupation for a full year, you have 90 days to apply for the benefit.

Loan forgiveness does not apply to:

• loans that have been converted to a line of credit
• private loans
• Ontario Medical Resident Loans

Eligible occupations

• Family Doctor
• Family Medicine Resident
• Licensed Practical Nurse
• Nurse Practitioner
• Registered Nurse
• Registered Psychiatric Nurse
• Registered Practical Nurse

Note: Residents in family medicine may be exempt from certain criteria. To find out more, contact the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC).

Eligible communities

As of November 6, 2024, the definition of an eligible community has changed. For the purposes of loan forgiveness, it is defined as:

• a rural area, or
• a population centre with no more than 30,000 people living in it

The previous definition will remain in place until after the 2026 census. Therefore, if you have previously received the benefit while working in a community that is no longer eligible, you may still qualify.

You can work in multiple eligible communities during the year. You can even work for more than 1 employer as long as you continue to meet all other eligibility requirements.

To find out if a community may be eligible, use the postal code lookup.

Postal code lookup

Note: Confirmation of eligibility for the benefit will be determined once you have applied. If you have questions about whether you are eligible, contact the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) before making any employment-related decisions.

Sick leave and parental leave

If you take less than 1 month of leave during the 12 months of service, you may still be eligible for loan forgiveness. You must however still complete 400 hours of in-person service.

If your leave is longer than 1 month and/or it keeps you from completing 400 hours of in-person service, you will need to show that you received one or more of the following benefits:

• Maternity Benefits
• Parental Benefits
• Sickness Benefits
• Compassionate Care Benefits
• Family Caregiver Benefits

Apply

Once you have completed a year of service in an eligible community, you have 90 days to apply for loan forgiveness.

To apply, you can:

Note: To stay eligible, you must re-apply every year. A reminder will be sent to you each year as long as the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program records show that you may be eligible.

Once your application is approved, your Canada Student Loan balance will be reduced. Your monthly payments will also be reduced unless you opt out on your application form.

You can make changes to your monthly payments at any time. For more information, see your payment options.

Previous definition

The previous definition of an eligible community was a community located outside of:

• metropolitan areas
• areas with an urban core population of 50,000 or more, and
• provincial capitals