I am currently doing an access course in pharmacy (similar to a bridging or foundation year) and am thinking on moving over to Canada to start my undergraduate degree in pharmacy. My question is would I be entitled to government student loans? Or do I have to have lived in Canada for a minimum number of years before I'm entitled to support?

Nope, you wouldn't, as you have to be a permanent resident (I suggest marrying someone pretty quick!) or a citizen (takes 3 years of PR). There aren't that many scholarship type things out there for UK people wanting to study in Canada (I know, as I looked into it myself) but there might be a few universities who do offer such things, or who at least offer a reduction for one reason or another. For example, I know McGill offers a differential fee waiver for some courses whereby you can pay Quebec tuition (lower than UK tuition) rather than the rather high international fees. Hope that helps.

In reading the other message that you posted on the Immigration forum, I saw that you were born in Canada and hence are a Canadian citizen. From that point of view at least, you would be eligible for financial assistance from the federal government and the government of one of the provinces.

My family members and I have not accessed the student loan system, so I cannot comment on it from personal experience. However, I have heard bits and pieces about it from friends who have used it. In addition to that, I've done a couple of Google searches just now to see what information I might come up with.

A Google search for student loans in Alberta seemed to suggest that, in this province at least, it was necessary to have been a resident for only four months prior to applying for a student loan (provided, of course, that you met the other criteria for obtaining a student loan). However, I don't know what criteria you have to meet in order to qualify as a resident of a given province. If you were to move to a Canadian province but still be partially dependent on parents who were living in the UK, for example, would you qualify as a resident of that province in the eyes of the government officials who grant federal / provincial student loans? I don't know.

Something you need to understand about student loans from the federal and provincial governments, however, is that they are not granted to just anyone. You need to complete a questionnaire about your family's financial situation (your parents' salaries and assets, how many children they're educating, your own earnings from part-time jobs, etc.). Even if you meet the other criteria (residency requirements, etc.), you will be granted a federal and/or provincial student loan only if you are deemed to be in financial need. The people who assess your application will take the costs that you will incur for tuition, textbooks and transportation, subtract the resources that they deem to be available to your parents and you, and grant a loan for the balance. Sixty percent of the loan is funded by the federal government and forty percent by the provincial government.

According to page 8 of the federal government's publication entitled Canada Student Loans for Full-time Students : Investing In Your Future, you must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a Canada Student Loan:

Here is a Student Loan Estimator. You can complete the questionnaire and calculate how much money, if any, the federal and provincial governments will be willing to lend you in the form of a Canada Student Loan.

Federal / provincial government loans are not the only loans available to students. If you follow the links I provided, you should be able to reach web sites that describe what other resources, if any, are available to you.

Hi there,

I believe that you need to be a Canadian citizen or Landed Immigrant to qualify for student loans. I encourage you to look at the following site for more details.

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/gateways/n...ram/cslp.shtml

Good luck