Federal

Canada Student Loan Forgiveness

Easy application

Tax filing not required

This program provides qualifying borrowers who work in eligible occupations in eligible communities with federal student loan forgiveness.

Please note that the 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.

You can apply for Canada Student Loan Forgiveness while you are in repayment. You can also apply if you are in study 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)
  • 10 consecutive months for early childhood educators, psychologists, social workers, and teachers, if they worked in a school
  • does not apply to residents in family medicine
  • provided in-person services for a minimum of 400 hours , 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.

To remain 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.

Loan forgiveness does not apply to:

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

Eligible occupations are noted below:

  • Family Doctor
  • Family Medicine Resident
  • Licensed Practical Nurse
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Registered Nurse
  • Registered Psychiatric Nurse
  • Registered Practical Nurse
  • Dentist
  • Dental Hygienist
  • Early Childhood Educator
  • Midwife
  • Personal Support Worker
  • Pharmacist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker
  • Teacher

For the purposes of loan forgiveness, an eligible community is defined as:

  1. a rural area, or
  2. 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 for doctors and nurses only. 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.

Documents listed in this section are examples of what can be included with your application. Please review the application instructions (How to Apply tab) to confirm the supplemental and required documents for this benefit.

Proof of Post-secondary degree

For example:

Degree/transcripts.

Record of Employment

This is an official form, filled out by your employer, that says how long you worked and how much you earned when you worked for that employer. When you leave your job for whatever reason, your employer must give you a Record of Employment within 5 days after your last day of employment.

You can apply for Canada Student Loan Forgiveness in two ways:

  1. Online through the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC).

  2. Download the following forms and mail to the National Student Loan Service Centre:

Mail to:

National Student Loans Service Centre

P.O. Box 4030

Mississauga, ON L5A 4M4

Please note to apply for this benefit you must complete a year of service in an eligible community. Qualifying applicants have 90 days to apply for loan forgiveness.

Last updated: July 15, 2026