Getting student loans and grants during the Canada Post work disruption

Transcription

1 Getting student loans and grants during the Canada Post work disruption Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) A legal work disruption has occurred between the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Canada Post letter carriers, transportation drivers, and inside workers. This will affect how students apply and receive payments and other student financial assistance. Read these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and find out what you need to do to get your student financial assistance during the postal lockout: Q1. When should students be submitting loan documents to the NSLSC? A1. The Ministry encourages student borrowers holding any completed loan documents to submit them when the postal work disruption is over. Students who have exceptional circumstances and require immediate funding should contact the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) to make alternative arrangements: (within North America) (outside North America) TTY Q2. What should students do if they have not submitted their loan documents for September? A2. Students should wait until the lockout is over to process their loan documents through the normal channels including NSLSC on-campus kiosks and Canada Post outlets. If the disruption continues for an extended period of time the CSLP, NSLSC, Provinces and Territories will advise borrowers about alternative arrangements. Q3. How do students still get loan payments during the postal lockout? A3. It is recommended that student borrowers set up direct deposit arrangements so that funds can be transferred directly to their bank accounts. Direct deposit is the fastest and safest way to get your money. Contact the NSLSC for details on how to set up direct deposit: (within North America) (outside North America) TTY

2 Q4. Should students still apply for a post secondary education? A4. Yes. Students should continue to apply for college, university or trade school so that they can get the necessary skills and training they need to find their future career. Ontario and the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that students who qualify and want to go to post-secondary institutions are able to receive the student financial assistance for which they are eligible. Q5. Will students be able to apply for student financial assistance? A5. Yes. Students should continue to apply for student loans and grants to support their post-secondary education. All students are encouraged to apply on-line to ensure their OSAP application is received and processed in a timely manner. Students can access the OSAP Application for Full-Time Studies online at: Paper applications may be filled out in full and submitted by fax to your school s financial aid office. Contact information for your financial aid office may be found under Help Contacts on the OSAP website at Contacts/index.htm. Merit applications for the Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top Scholarship Program (deadline of June 17 th ) can be faxed to the financial aid office of the institution you are planning to attend. Supporting documentation for the Fellowship for Studying in French program, if requested by the ministry, can be faxed to the Student Financial Assistance Branch at Q6. What should students do who are attending summer school and need student financial assistance immediately? A6. Each post secondary institution manages its own payment timelines. You may wish to contact the financial aid office at your school to learn about their protocol during the lockout. You may also wish to contact the NSLSC directly for alternative options. Q7. How long do students have to wait during the postal work disruption for their loan documents to be assessed? A7. Ensuring efficient service delivery is a priority for the Ministry. However, due to the undetermined stoppage, students should expect delays in processing of their student loans and/or grants.

3 During the Canada Post labour disruption, the ministry will continue to use courier service to send loan documents and all other OSAP related documents to institutions in Canada. Loan documents and other OSAP related documents for institutions located outside Canada will be held at the Student Financial Assistance branch for the duration of the strike. Q8. Why are some Government of Canada program recipients still receiving cheques through Canada Post? A8. Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) letter carriers agreed to provide mail delivery one day a month for socio-economic cheques only. Therefore, programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) are still being mailed out. Q9. Is personal information safe when students apply for student financial assistance? A9. Yes. The safety of your personal information is a top priority for the Government of Ontario. Strict safeguards are in place to ensure personal information is secure and that established procedures are followed when handling this type of information. Although submitting documents to the ministry by fax is an option, unless a deadline is approaching we suggest holding documents and sending them to the ministry once the labour dispute is over. Borrower Process Information Questions and Answers 1. When will I get my student loan? A. If you have submitted your loan document already to the National Student Loan Service Center (NSLSC) before the postal work disruption began, then your disbursement will be processed. If you are planning on receiving your student loan by cheque, your cheque cannot be sent to you until the end of the work disruption. If you need your loan faster than that, contact the NSLSC to sign up for direct deposit. Be sure to have your bank account information on hand. 2. I have my loan document but have not submitted it to the NSLSC. What do I do? A. Your loan documents must be submitted to the NSLSC before the end of your study period in order to receive your funding. If you rely on direct

4 mail or a Canada Post Designated Outlet to submit your loan documents to the NSLSC, you will have to wait until after the work disruption for these services to resume. CSLP is recommending that you wait until closer to the end of your study period to process your loan documents as you normally do. There is a chance that the postal work disruption will end before you have to submit your loan documents, leaving enough time for you to process them through the normal channels. If there is an exceptional circumstance and you require funding immediately, please contact the NSLSC to determine if there is a way you can submit your loan document and other required documentation for processing. You can call the NSLSC at I need to confirm my enrolment since I am going back to school in the next couple weeks. How do I submit my confirmation of enrolment document to the Ministry since there is no mail delivery? A. During the postal work disruption you can fax your Confirmation of Enrolment to the financial aid office of the institution you are attending. If attending an institution outside of Ontario, you can fax your Confirmation of Enrolment to the Student Financial Assistance Branch at I need to apply for the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). How can I provide documentation to the NSLSC since there is no mail service? A. During the postal work disruption, you can apply for the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) through the NSLSC web site. If you are required to submit documentation as part of your application, please contact the NSLSC to discuss options. 5. I am supposed to start paying my loan back in the next couple of weeks. How do I figure out my terms of repayment since the NSLSC cannot mail me a consolidation agreement? A. During the postal work disruption, it will not be possible for the NSLSC to send you a loan consolidation package. If you have provided your bank account information to the NSLSC, they will passively consolidate your loan at the regular passive consolidation repayment terms. This means your repayment schedule will be set over a 9.5 year term, at a variable interest rate of prime rate plus 2.5 percent on the Canada portion of your student loans, and prime rate plus 1 percent on the Ontario portion of your student loans.

5 The NSLSC will begin debiting your account the last day of the seventh month following your consolidation date. If you have not provided your banking information to the NSLSC, you can begin to make payments to the NSLSC using online banking. Borrowers remain responsible for making their student loan payments throughout the duration of the postal lockout. Please contact the NSLSC for consolidation and repayment details.