The Resident Loan Interest Relief Program (RLIRP) was negotiated as part of the 2008 Physician Services Agreement to provide eligible residents with financial assistance during a critical time of professional development. Under this program, Ontario medical residents are not required, during their medical residency, to pay principal or interest on government students loans granted from any Canadian jurisdiction. Participating residents agree to provide physician services in Ontario for five years following completion of their medical residency.
Under the program, the Ministry of Health (MOH), provides participants with relief from making monthly payments (interest and principal) on their Canadian government student loans (provincial and federal) during their residency period.
During residency, MOH pays the loan interest on your behalf.
To be considered you must apply and:
Participants must sign and submit a Return of Service Agreement under which they agree to provide Ontario with five years of physician services within three months following completion of medical residency.
Participants must also sign a Medical Resident Loan Agreement which authorizes Ontario to issue a Medical Resident Loan in their name which will pay out all of their government student loans.
After Medical Residency, the Medical Resident Loan enters repayment and monthly payments of both principal and interest are required.
Any outstanding Canadian government student loan is eligible for the program.
(No portion of a government student loan that has been repaid through any means would be eligible.)
No. Only residents with active Canadian government student loans are eligible for the program.
Yes, residents can pay back the outstanding principal at any time without penalty. However, residents will still be required to return service in Ontario for five years.
At this time, fellowship programs are not covered by the program. Fellows are required to assume responsibility for payments (principal and interest) on government loans upon commencement of their fellowship.
There are two requirements for participation in the RLIRP. The participant must enter into a Return of Service (ROS) agreement with the MOH and enter into a Medical Resident Loan (MRL) agreement with the MCU.
To begin the application process, you must complete and print the RLIRP and MRL Application Form. You will then mail the application to:
Resident Loan Interest Relief Program
P.O. Box # 127, Toronto "P"
Toronto ON
M5S 2S7
Upon receipt of your completed application, the RLIRP Application Centre will assess your eligibility for the program. If you are deemed eligible for the program, you will receive a ROS agreement and a MRL agreement which indicates the amount of outstanding government student loan that you would be paying out.
You will then have to complete these documents and return them to the RLIRP Application Centre, at which point your existing student loans will be discharged and replaced with a MRL.
During the Ontario medical residency, MOH pays the interest on the participant's MRL, and the participant is not required to make payments. In exchange for these benefits, the participant must first agree to practise medicine for five years in Ontario upon completion of residency.
The Resident Loan Interest Relief Program Application Centre accepts applications every year from June to September, subject to the availability of funding as negotiated in the Physician Services Agreement.
Your personal information, including your Social Insurance Number provided on your application, will be used by the government and any third party authorized by the government to administer and finance the RLIRP and MRL program.
It is important that you read the notice of collection, use and disclosure of personal information before completing the application.
The government is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information and we have extensive policies and procedures in place to protect your personal information.
The following are some of the terms of the ROS agreement:
Once participants start post residency employment as a Physician, their five-year commitment to practise in Ontario begins. Deferrals will be granted for parental leave. More details on the commitment are contained in the ROS agreement.
If you do not return physician services in Ontario for five years, or discontinue medical residency in Ontario, you will be required to repay the amount of interest paid on your behalf, interest on that amount, and the administration costs of the program up to $4,000.
Under the terms of the ROS agreement they will have signed, residents agree to pay back to Ontario all the interest paid on their behalf as well as accrued interest on this amount plus administrative costs.
The MRL is a loan granted under the authority of the MTCU Act to eligible Ontario medical residents. The purpose of a MRL is to discharge the medical resident's outstanding government student loans from Canada, Ontario or other Canadian provinces/territories.
The MRL agreement amount is the total verified amount of your outstanding government student loans plus any applicable interest accrued between the time the amounts are verified and the time your government student loans are paid out.
It is important that you continue to make your monthly loan payments on your government loans until you receive notification that they have been paid out.
Immediately upon completion of residency, you must assume responsibility for making payments (principal and interest) on the outstanding MRL. If you withdraw from the RLIRP or move out of province during residency, you will need to begin repayment of your MRL immediately and you will be responsible for reimbursing MOH for interest paid on your behalf during residency and an administration fee.
If you wish, you may start paying back the outstanding principal at any time during your residency without penalty. However, you will remain bound by the terms of the ROS agreement you signed.
Immediately upon completion of residency, you must assume responsibility for making payments (principal and interest) on the outstanding MRL. Also, if you withdraw from the program during residency or move to another jurisdiction during residency, your loan will immediately enter repayment.
A medical resident who enters into a MRL must enter into a repayment agreement with the Lender (Ontario Student Loan Trust) within 30 days upon completion of residency or termination of the ROS agreement.
Failure to repay the loans, including any accumulated principal and interest, may result in the Lender:
Resident Loan Interest Relief Program
P.O. Box # 127, Toronto "P", Toronto ON M5S 2S7
Telephone: 1-833-435-4151
Fax: 1-866-951-2215
Email: rlirp@accerta.ca
We are available from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST.