How, Where and When to Apply

One Application - Two Loans

When you apply for student financial assistance in Manitoba, you deal with only one office, Manitoba Student Aid. It is important to recognize, however, that while you are completing only one application form, you are applying for two separate student loans - a Canada Student Loan whose funds are disbursed from the National Student Loan Service Centre, and a Manitoba Student Loan whose funds are disbursed from Manitoba Student Aid. When cashing and repaying your student loans, you will be dealing with the two separate organizations.

How and Where to Apply

You may apply online or on paper.

Apply online at www.studentaid.gov.mb.ca, and you should receive notification of your results within two weeks.

Before you apply, print this Online Worksheet. It lists the information you will need to collect in order to complete your online application.

Paper applications are available at Employment Centres and Manitoba Student Aid. It may take up to five weeks to process a paper application, or longer if the application is not completed properly, so plan ahead. Answer all the appropriate questions, sign the declaration and consent forms and, if applicable, have your spouse or parents sign too.

By submitting an Application for Canada Student Loan/Manitoba Student Loan, you will also automatically be assessed for the following: Prince of Wales/Princess Anne Bursary, Canada Study Grants for Students with Dependants and Students from Low Income Families, Canada Millennium Scholarship Bursary and Manitoba Bursary, Millennium Manitoba Opportunity Grants.

Separate applications are required to determine your eligibility for the following Canada Study Grants awards: Students with Permanent Disabilities, and Female Doctoral Students.

When to Apply

APPLY EARLY!

You can apply even if your school has not officially accepted you. However, you must know the name of your school, program, and start and end dates.

It takes approximately two weeks to process an Internet application and up to five weeks for a paper application. If you are attending a school or program that has not been reviewed for approval, you must apply on a paper application. The review process may take at least six weeks.

Confidential Information

The information submitted by you and your parents or spouse is confidential. Except as noted in the authorization and declaration, information cannot be released to anyone other than to you, your spouse, or your parents (if you are a dependent applicant), unless you provide written authorization. If you wish to authorize someone else to act for you when dealing with Manitoba Student Aid matters, especially if you will be attending school outside of Manitoba, send a signed note along with your application. Indicate who is authorized to act for you, what information can be released to them, and for how long the authorization is valid. Independent applicants must provide authorization if they wish their parents to act on their behalf.

Conditions of the Application

Declaration and Consent Form

All students, and their spouse or parent(s) if applicable, are required to sign a declaration and a consent form for release of information from the Canada Revenue Agency. All students are also required to sign a consent to allow for the verification of their Social Insurance Number, name, date of birth and gender with information contained in Human Resources and Skill Development's (HRDC) Social Insurance Register. The vehicle information you provide is verified with Manitoba Public Insurance.

If you are applying on the Internet, the declaration must be signed and returned prior to the release of any funds.

Audit and Verification

All information provided to Manitoba Student Aid is subject to audit and verification.

As soon as you apply, start a Canada Student Loan/Manitoba Student Loan file, which should include copies of your applications, income tax returns and any other correspondence and documentation you are submitting. Audits will be conducted to verify information. If you are selected for an audit, you may be asked to provide copies of income tax returns (including all T-slips and schedules for you, and your spouse, parents, sponsors, or legal guardians, if applicable). You may also be asked to provide copies of bank statements and verification of: employment income; funding from other sources; value, sale or purchase of assets, including vehicles; copies of loan authorization forms; and any other documentation that might be required to verify your reported information and your financial circumstances. This information should be kept for at least two years after you cease to be a full-time student.

If an audit determines that you received more assistance than you were entitled to, you will be asked to repay any overaward. Furthermore, applications in subsequent years may be automatically referred for audit. If it is determined that the underreporting or misreporting was deliberate, possible penalties may include denial of further assistance and/or loss of interest-free status. Legal action may also be taken.

Canada Student Loan Program Credit Check Requirements

The Canada Student Loans Program requires a credit check on all first-time applicants 22 years of age and over.

First-time applicants include individuals who may have previously applied for financial assistance, before but who have never been awarded a loan or grant under the Canada Student Loans Program.

Applicants with a poor credit history may be denied financial assistance.

What is a poor credit history?

You will be considered to have a poor credit history if within the 3 years before you made your application for financial assistance:

• there were three separate occasions on which you were more than 90 days overdue in your payments on three or more loans or other debts (credit cards, lines of credit, utility bills, car loans, etc.)
• each individual debt or loan was worth $1,000 or more
• you had control over the circumstances that led to the overdue payments

What can you do if you are denied financial assistance?

If you are denied financial assistance because of your credit history, you will be notified. If the reasons for your financial circumstances were beyond your control, your file may qualify for a review by Manitoba Student Aid. Examples of such circumstances include unexpected or exceptional expenses, a loss or reduction in income or earnings, or a change in family or marital situation. Your letter of denial will advise you of the review process.

See the Review Checklist to see if your situation warrants a review.