The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant provides funding for students studying in priority postsecondary programs in underserved and growing communities in Northern, Southwestern and Eastern Ontario. As per your Service Commitment Agreement, you have agreed to work in the field for which you have studied and in the region in which you have studied. The following will provide a high-level overview of this post-study employment period of the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant.
Initial employment verification
1. You will need to find employment within 6 months after the date of your graduation. This employment must fulfill your Service Commitment Agreement requirements to work:
• In the field for which you have studied;
• In the region in which you have studied;
• For a broader public sector organization;
• For a minimum of 20 hours a month and 400 hours over each 180-day (approximately 6-month) period of your service commitment.
As you search for employment, you can check that potential employers are in your Ontario Learn and Stay Grant region. To check whether a potential employer serves a community in your Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Region, you can use the Public Health Unit locator (https://www.phdapps.health.gov.on.ca/phulocator) and cross-reference the result with the list of communities in your region found on the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant website (ontario.ca/learnandstay).
2. Before you graduate, you will be sent a Notice of Service Commitment letter which outlines the above and the length of your service commitment.
3. You will be contacted by the ministry to complete a Verification of Employment form. This form must be completed by you and your employer and submitted to the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) within 6 months of your graduation date. Submission details will be found on the form.
Ensure you carefully read and follow all instructions before submitting your form. For instance, if you require multiple employers to meet your service commitment requirements, you must submit a Verification of Employment form for each employer and submit all forms together as one package to the NSLSC.
4. After you submit your Verification of Employment form(s), it will be evaluated to verify if your employment fulfils the criteria of your Service Commitment Agreement (as set out above in Step #1). If no further information is required, you will be notified by letter from the NSLSC that your form has been accepted and you will be provided next steps. If further information is required, or if your employment does not meet the criteria as listed in your Service Commitment Agreement, you will be notified via a letter from the NSLSC with further instructions.
During your service commitment
5. Once you fulfill the requirements of this initial verification of employment, you are required to provide further verification through your online OSAP account approximately every 6 months, from the start date of your employment until the end of your service commitment. For example, if you have a total service commitment of 18 months, you will have to provide verification through your online OSAP account 3 more times after submitting your initial Verification of Employment form(s).
6. If you change employers during your service commitment, you are required to download, complete, and submit a Verification of Change in Employment form during the online verification of employment process. The new employment verification form(s) must be submitted to the NSLSC so that they can be verified.
Note: if you require multiple employers to meet your minimum service commitment hours, you must submit a Verification of Change in Employment form for each employer and the forms must be submitted together as one package (even if you have submitted a form for one of the employers before). If you can fulfill the minimum number of hours with one employer but also have a second employer, you do not need to submit a form for the second employer.
7. If you fail to verify your employment or if your employment status does not meet the criteria of your Service Commitment Agreement, you will be notified that your Ontario Learn and Stay Grant funding will be converted into an Ontario Student Loan which you must pay back. If your grant is scheduled for conversion as a result of extenuating circumstances beyond your control, you can submit an Exceptional Circumstance Review form, available from the OSAP website (ontario.ca/osap, under the “Forms” section).
Completion of your service commitment
8. Upon successfully completing all required verifications, you will be advised that you have completed your service commitment.
Grant to loan conversion
If you fail to verify your employment or if your employment status does not meet the criteria of your Service Commitment Agreement, you will be notified that your Ontario Learn and Stay Grant funding will be converted into an Ontario Student Loan which you must pay back. If your grant is scheduled for conversion, you can submit an Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Post-Studies Service Commitment Review Request form, available from the OSAP website (ontario.ca/osap, under the “Forms” section). Circumstances that qualify for consideration of a review include situations where you:
If you are unable to complete your service commitment in the future due to the onset of a severe and permanent disability, or have experienced a catastrophic event that permanently prevents you from being employed in the profession for which you have studied, you can submit a separate Ontario Learn and Stay Grant Post-Studies Service Commitment Withdrawal Request form, available from the OSAP website.
For more information about your service commitment, you can check your online OSAP account, your Service Commitment Agreement, or you can also contact the Student Financial Assistance Branch. General inquiry telephone service is available Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Eastern Time):
• Telephone: 1-807-343-7260
• Toll-free in North America: 1-877-OSAP-411 (1-877-672-7411)
• TDD: 1-800-465-3958