Determining province of residency

Before determining province of residency, student loan applicants must first determine whether they are considered a dependent of their parents or not. While policy can vary from province to province, generally students will be considered dependents of their parent(s), step-parent, sponsor or legal guardian until one of the following apply:

  • They have been out of high school for at least 48 months (four years) as of the start of classes
  • They are married, separated, divorced, widowed or a single parent
  • They are part of a common-law relationship
  • They have worked in the full-time labour force for two periods of 12 continuous months since leaving high school

If one or more of the above applies to you, read the information pertaining to independent students. If none of the above apply to you, you are a dependent student.

Determining residency of dependent students

You are a resident of the province in which your parent(s), step-parent, sponsor or legal guardian have most recently lived for 12 continuous months. If they do not live in BC, you must apply for financial assistance from the province where they live.

Determining residency of independent students

You will be considered a resident of BC if:

  • You have lived in BC all your life
  • BC is the province where you have lived for 12 continuous months, not including months of full-time post-secondary study
  • You arrived in BC as a permanent resident, you will attend school in BC, and you have not lived in any one province other than BC for 12 continuous months

If you are not a resident of BC as defined above, you must apply for financial assistance from your home province.