Eligibility-- Postal Code Lookup
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 be eligible for loan forgiveness you must:
have been employed for a full year and provided in-person services for a minimum of 400 hours in an eligible community (does not apply to residents in family medicine)
have a Canada Student Loan that is in good standing (if in repayment, you must be up to date on your payments)
Eligible medical professions
family doctor
family medicine resident in training with an accredited medical school in Canada
registered nurse
registered psychiatric nurse
registered practical nurse
licensed practical nurse, or
nurse practitioner
Eligible communities
Effective November 6, 2024, the Government of Canada has revised the definition of under-served rural and remote communities.
Eligible communities are determined by their population size. An eligible community is:
a population centre with a population of no more than 30,000, or
a rural area
The previous definition will continue to be valid alongside the new definition until after the 2026 census.
Find out if a community is designated by using our postal code lookup tool.
If you continue to work in a community where you received loan forgiveness the previous year, you will still be eligible to receive the benefit, even if the community is no longer considered eligible.
You can work in multiple eligible communities during the year but, you must complete at least 400 hours total of in-person service over a 12-month period. In addition, as long as you continue to work in an eligible community, you can work for multiple employers.
How much you could receive
Over a maximum of 5 years, you could receive up to:
$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
$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
Note: Loan forgiveness will apply to your loan 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.
What you need before you start
Loan forgiveness period
A loan forgiveness period is a period of 12 consecutive months where you have been employed or in practice and have provided in-person services for at least 400 hours in an eligible community.
You must complete a full loan forgiveness period before applying for this benefit. Any future forgiveness period may only begin after an approved period has ended.
You will need to show that you meet these criteria in your application. Once you have finished your forgiveness period, you have 90 days to apply for the benefit. Your loan balance will then be reduced as of the day after your loan forgiveness period ends.
Exemptions
Residents in family medicine are exempt from the requirement of being employed in an eligible community for 12 consecutive months. However, your loan forgiveness period must still be 12 consecutive months during which you have provided 400 hours of in-person service in an eligible community.
If you apply as a resident, indicate the start of the loan forgiveness period on your application, and it can be accepted a year after that date. Once you have completed your loan forgiveness period, you have 90 days to apply for this benefit.
Sick leave and parental leave
If you take leave during the 12 months of service for less than one month but are able to complete 400 hours of in-person service, you will still be eligible for loan forgiveness. If your leave is longer than one month and/or it prevents you from completing 400 hours of in-person service, you will be expected to provide documentation to show that you received one or more of the following 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, submit a:
Note: To stay eligible, you must re-apply every year. A reminder letter 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, please see what payment options you have.
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