Can expat Canadians apply for Canadian student loans?

[Starglass1]

Hi all. I'm an expat Canadian citizen who left 20 years ago looking for a Canadian student loan to study outside of Canada. Does anyone know if I can apply for one if I'm no longer a resident in Canada?

I read the Canadian government student loan website and found that the institution (in the USA) I wish to study at is listed as acceptable for funding. However, all the templated request forms asked me which province I was a resident of. I left B.C. 20 years ago and haven't been back since.

Is there still a chance of getting a loan?

Thanks to anyone who might have some answers for me.

[Steven]

No, I'm afraid not, your tax home must be in Canada.

[Starglass1]

Steve, thanks for your instantaneous reply!

Would you know how long it takes to reestablish residency?

[Steven]

Well it's pretty easy to establish residency, the hard part is usually untangling yourself from the tax authorities in the country where you now reside. If you say you live in Canada, then you do, basically. However the authorities in the country where you live won't necessarily believe you until you sever residential ties there and show a closer connection to Canada.

[Starglass1]

Do you know what one has to do to reestablish Canadian residency? A quick Google search didn't yield much in the way of answers.

If I want to apply for a Canadian student loan, what would constitute me being a resident of a province? Would a mailing address in the given province suffice?

I guess I can give the Canadian embassy a call on Monday to get the answer straight from the horse's mouth.

[Reba]

The embassy/consulate wouldn't likely know the laws regarding residency for TAX purposes though. A better call to make would be to Canada Revenue services.

[Steven]

You've got to be careful about doing this because if you establish residency in Canada you need to not be resident wherever you live now, otherwise you would face dual taxation. You can't fiddle it by getting a PO box in Canada, that would come back and bite you in the ass at some point. You can essentially only be resident in one place at a time.

To establish residency means the place where you principally reside, there isn't some piece of paperwork you get that says you are resident (well, in some cases there is, for example if you the country issues a permanent resident card). It's a combination of intent and proof of that intent, if you want an idea have a read of the CRA form NR-73.

[Holly]

Hey there, I'm a Canadian living in Perth Western Austrlia. I am returning to study in BC, but wonder if I will be eligible for student loans. Do you have to live in BC for a certain time period - even if I am paying off student loans while in Australia?