The Student's Guide to OSAP Affidavits - Updated for 2022-2023 Academic Year

Good news! The 2022-2023 OSAP application opened in May 2022. This blog post provides a helpful overview of OSAP and OSAP affidavits, including OSAP affidavits of common law status and OSAP affidavits for sole support parents.

What is OSAP?

The Ontario Student Assistance Program, or OSAP, provides student loans and grants to post-secondary students, and for many an OSAP loan is essential for getting through the academic year.

OSAP can help you pay for tuition, books, student fees, living expenses (for full-time students) and child care (for students with children).

OSAP is available to Ontario residents who are attending OSAP-approved schools and are:

• Canadian citizens

• Permanent residents, or

• Protected persons

The amount of OSAP you are entitled to depends on your:

• Education expenses

• Course load

• Personal financial situation

For more information on OSAP, visit Learn about OSAP, or review the 2022-2023 OSAP Application.

How do I apply for OSAP?

Applying for OSAP is pretty straightforward. First, you register online for an OSAP account. Second, you complete the online application.

Make sure that you submit your OSAP application by the deadline. For full-time students and part-time students with study periods of 21 weeks or more, your OSAP application is due no later than 60 days before the end of your study period. For part-time students with study periods of 20 weeks or less, your application is due no later than 40 days before the end of your study period. For OSAP, the study period is usually the normal school year for your program.

Third, you complete the Master Student Financial Assistant Agreement, if required. You may also need to complete the signature and declaration forms, and provide additional documents, like an OSAP affidavit.  

For more information on how to apply for OSAP, visit the Government of Ontario’s How to apply for OSAP.

What is an OSAP affidavit, and do I need one?

An affidavit is a sworn document that is signed before a lawyer, a commissioner of oaths) or a notary public, swearing or affirming that the contents of the affidavit are true.

An OSAP affidavit is a type of affidavit that you may need to provide to OSAP as part of your OSAP application. Generally, OSAP may require an affidavit if you are unable to provide official documentation to prove something about yourself. For example, you may need an OSAP affidavit to show:

• You are living in a common law relationship

• You are a sole support parent

• Your marital status (including divorced, separated or widowed)

• Your Indigenous identity

• Your income

• Your spouse’s income

• Your parent’s income

Here are some of the most common types of OSAP affidavits:

• OSAP Affidavit of Common Law Status: You must provide an affidavit signed by you and your common law partner to confirm:

  • You have lived together in a conjugal relationship outside of marriage continuously for a period of not less than three years, or

  • You have lived together for less than years in a relationship of some permanent and are the natural or adoptive parents of a child.

• Affidavit of Sole Support Parent - Never Married or Widowed: You must provide an affidavit confirming that your childr(en) will live with you full-time during the academic year and the birth dates of your child(ren).

  • If you are widowed, you must also provide a copy of your spouse’s death certificate.

• OSAP Affidavit of Sole Support Parent Status - Separated or Divorced: If you do not have a separation agreement, divorce judgement or court order, you must provide an affidavit that states the date or your separation or divorce and details of your custody arrangements that confirm your child(ren) will live with you at least 50% of the time during the academic year.

• OSAP Affidavit of Marital Status: If you are married do not have a copy of your marriage certificate, you may be required to provide an affidavit signed by you and your spouse to confirm the date and details of your marriage.

• OSAP Affidavit of Marital Status - Separated or Divorced With No Dependent Children: If you do not have a separation agreement, divorce judgement or court order AND you do not have any children living with you during the academic year, you can provide an affidavit confirming the date and details of your separation or divorce.

• OSAP Affidavit of Indigenous Identity: If you do not have one of the official documents listed in the OSAP application to confirm your Indigenous identity, you can provide an affidavit in which you declare your Indigenous identity and a description of the Indigenous person(s) that you self-identity as, such as First Nation (Status/Non-Status), Métis, Inuk (Inuit), or any alternative term to describe your Indigenous identity.

• OSAP Affidavit of Student’s Foreign / Non-Taxable Income: If you earned foreign or non-taxable income that was not reported to the Canada Revenue Agency and you cannot provide the required documentation to prove your income, you can submit an affidavit that states the reason(s) why you are unable to provide the required documentation and the amount(s), currency and source(s) of your income.

• OSAP Affidavit of Student’s Income - No Income: If you did not earn any income in a particular year, you must complete an affidavit that states where you resided in that year and why you had no income.

• OSAP Affidavit of Spouse’s Foreign/Non-Taxable Income: If your spouse earned foreign or non-taxable income that was not reported to the Canada Revenue Agency and they cannot provide the required documentation to prove their income, your spouse can complete an affidavit that states the reason(s) why they are unable to provide the required documentation and the amount(s), currency and source(s) of their income.

• OSAP Affidavit of Parent’s Foreign / Non-Taxable Income: If your parent earned foreign or non-taxable income that was not reported to the Canada Revenue Agency and they cannot provide the required documentation to prove their income, your parent can complete an affidavit that states the reason(s) why they are unable to provide the required documentation and the amount(s), currency and source(s) of their income.

• OSAP Affidavit of Parent’s Income - No Income: If your parent did not receive any income in a particular year, your parent must complete an affidavit that states where they resided in that year and why they had no income.

If you aren’t sure if you need to provide an OSAP affidavit, we recommend that you contact your financial aid office or the National Student Loans Service Centre.

Can Downtown Notary help me with my OSAP affidavit?

Yes, we definitely can!  

Downtown Notary has launched an OSAP Affidavit Tool that lets you create your OSAP affidavit in just a few minutes for only $5.00 plus HST. Just answer a few simple questions and receive your OSAP affidavit by email.

If you need help with writing your OSAP affidavit, we can do that too. Our fee for drafting an OSAP affidavit is $26.25 plus HST and the cost of notarization.

Save time, money and hassle with our one-stop shop for OSAP affidavits - contact us today!

We can quickly and easily notarize your OSAP affidavit at one of our in-person locations or with our new online notary service, Notarize.ca.

Ready to get started?

• Book your in-person appointment at one of Downtown Notary’s convenient locations

• Book your online notary appointment with Notarize.ca, Downtown Notary’s online notary service

Disclaimer:

This blog post is for information purposes only. It does not replace information provided by the Government of Ontario’s OSAP program or financial aid offices. If you have questions about OSAP, contact your financial aid office or the National Student Loans Service Centre.