How do I get my Canadian federal loans forgiven?
What is it?
Residents in Family Medicine are eligible for loan forgiveness on their Canadian federal loans. The program is not new but the amount has increased and the forms have changed. Notably, the forms require a WET INK signature now.
Eligibility
New forms effective November 2023
Residents in Family Practice (and fully practicing Family Practitioners, Nurse Practitioners, or Nurse working in under-served rural/remote community)
Federal Student Loan balances (not lines of credit or private loans)
Disbursement
Up to 50% of loan or $60,000 for eligible doctors over 5 installments (note: years do not need to be consecutive)
Year 1: $8,000
Year 2: $10,000
Year 3: $12,000
Year 4: $14,000
Year 5: $16,000
How do I select my Loan Forgiveness Period? When can I apply?
First, here are some definitions:
Loan Forgiveness Period is the 12-month block that you select
This period of time must encapsulate when you worked in an underserved community and provided at least 400 hours or 50 days of in-person service
Also referred to as Employment Period
In future applications, these periods don’t have to be consecutive but they cannot overlap
Application Period is the period when you can submit your federal loans application
Note: Technically this is 30 – 90 days after your last date. I have stated it here as 12 – 15 months after start date for simplicity.
To help you, I’ve prepared the 2 most common scenarios below.
Scenario #1: I’m an R1 and I want to make sure I maximize my federal loan forgiveness
Application 1
Loan Forgiveness Period: Jul 1, 2023 to Jun 30, 2024
Submit your application between: Jul 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2024
Application 2
Loan Forgiveness Period: Jul 1, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025
Submit your application between: Jul 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2025
Scenario #2: I’m an R2 and I totally forgot to apply for federal loan forgiveness last year
Application 1
Loan Forgiveness Period: Dec 1, 2022 to Nov 30, 2023
Submit your application before Feb 29, 2024
Application 2
Loan Forgiveness Period: Dec 1, 2024 to Nov 30, 2025
Submit your application between: Dec 1, 2025 to Feb 29, 2025
Notes:
This is only possible if you did 400 hours or 50 days of rural work after Dec 1, 2024
You can have your employment end date after your last date of residency because of the resident exemption stated on the Canada NSLSC website:
“Residents in family medicine are exempt from the requirement of being employed in an under-served rural or remote community for 12 consecutive months. However, your loan forgiveness period must still be a period of 12 consecutive months during which you have provided 400 hours of in-person service in an under-served rural or remote community.”
How do I apply?
There are 2 forms to fill out. Filling it out is tricky and confusing so we’ve called NSLSC and asked a supervisor to explain how to do this exactly. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully.
Form #1: Application for Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for Family Doctors and Nurses (Form SDE0094)
Download a Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for Family Doctors and Nurses Application (PDF format, 123 KB) from the Government of Canada website.
Section B
Occupation: Family Medicine Resident
Applicant’s Valid Registration Number: CPSID number
Loan Forgiveness Period Start Date: See the section above
Section E
Include any government and private bank loans or lines of credit
Print out the form and sign sections D and F with wet ink (digital signatures will not be accepted)
Make sure the date you enter is within the application period (see section above)
Form #2: Employment Attestation for Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for Family Doctors and Nurses (Form SDE0110)
Download a Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for Family Doctors and Nurses Attestation (PDF format, 89 KB) from the Government of Canada website.
Fill out the form as seen in the example image below.
Note: Alternatively, you can fill out 1 form for each rural community that you work in. If you do this, you should list the rural medical facility in part B and your direct preceptor in part C
Print out the form and get your Site Director to sign Section C with wet ink (digital signatures will not be accepted)
It’s a good idea to get your Site Director to sign these forms because of a few reasons:
They can attest for all your rural rotations (ie. 1 form for all your rural communities)
If your application gets rejected, your amended resubmissions need to be signed by the same person. Your site director will be easier to access for this purpose rather than your rural community preceptors.
-
Name of the Medical Family or Private Practice: UBC Family Practice Residency Program
Mailing Address of the Medical Facility or Private Practice: Suite
300 - 5950 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC
Name of the Under-Served Rural or Remote Community:
*List all rural communities that you served
Postal Code: V6T 1Z3
Employment Start Date at this location (YYYY-MM—DD): **Start Date
From (YYYY-MM-DD): **Start date (same as **)
To (YYYY-MM-DD): Must be 12 months after **Start Date
Hours of in-person service completed: 400
Name of Immediate Supervisor/Assistant: Name of Site Director
Title: Site Director
Note: Supervisor’s signature must be wet ink signature (digital signatures will not be accepted).
Note: The date of the form must be within the valid application period (ie. 30-90 days after your end date)
Next Steps
After both forms are filled out and signed with wet ink, mail both forms to the following address (fax and email are not accepted):
National Student Loans Service Centre
PO BOX 4030
Mississauga, ON
L5A 4M4Please note: you must re-apply every year
If you would like more information:
Read about Canada Student Loan forgiveness for family doctors and nurses (Canada.ca)
Contact the NSLSC: Click here for their contact information.
