Protection of your personal information

If you decide to fill out and send us a form or you enter information in your online file you should know that we will only use the information required to answer your request and provide the necessary follow-up.

The information obtained by Aide financière aux études will only be used to grant you financial assistance if you qualify and, if applicable, to recover financial assistance overpayments or your loan in the event that you do not respect the repayment terms and conditions.

We encourage you to consult our Policy on privacy.

Personal information is transmitted to another government organization only in the event that your request is intended for that organization or that such transmittal is required by law. Under no circumstances is such information used to compile a user profile or sent to a private organization.

In its efforts to verify the accuracy of the information provided or to recover outstanding amounts, in accordance with the Act, Aide financière aux études may contact the following bodies:

• The Ministère de l'Éducation and the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur: to verify information concerning academic files
• The Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale: to identify persons who benefit under the Social Assistance Program or the Social Solidarity Program and grant them extensions for the repayment of a bursary overpayment or a loan granted under the Loans and Bursaries Program
• Revenu Québec: to verify information provided, such as a person’s address, civil status, employers, incomes, or to recover from income tax refunds any amount owed by students who have not honoured their repayment agreement
• A credit-reporting agency: to trace the place of residence of certain persons who cannot be located and check certain items of information
• Educational institutions: in order to confirm educational information
• Financial institutions: to update the files of persons who have benefited under a program offered by Aide financière aux études and ensure a follow-up on their loan balance
• Régie de l’assurance maladie: to determine the place of residence of persons who cannot be located
• Debt collection agencies outside Québec: to obtain debt repayment from a debtor or conclude a debt repayment agreement

Note that you cannot access the information that your parents, spouse or sponsor provide. Likewise, they cannot access the information that you provide. Only the amount of their contribution, if applicable, will be recorded in your file.

Only the authorized employees of Aide financière aux études and the persons in charge of financial assistance at your educational institution have access to the information in your file.

You are responsible for the information that you send us and for maintaining the confidentiality of your identification information. If the confidentiality of that information becomes compromised, please inform us as soon as possible to avoid fraudulent use of your identity.

When you enter information in your online file or fill out a form, the supporting documents and information gathered by Aide financière aux études are essential for the application of the Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses and the related regulation. To ensure that your request is processed, enclose all requested documents. We always specify if the answer to a question is compulsory or optional.

If you receive student financial assistance, you are required to inform us of any changes in your situation that occur over the course of the year that could affect the amount of financial assistance awarded to you.

Missing receipts or information or inaccurate information in your file could lead to problems such as:

• Suspension of expected payments

• The obligation to immediately repay assistance overpayments

• Disqualification from the Loans and Bursaries Program and the Loans Program for Part-Time Studies for two years

If you forget to notify us of a change of address		It is important that you notify Aide financière aux études of any change in your mailing address within 30 days of moving. If you fail to do so within that prescribed period, the financial assistance installments to which you are entitled could be interrupted. By providing your exact coordinates, you will be sure to receive all your correspondence.
Required Documents (Student)		You must submit all the required documents. Copies will be accepted in most cases. Please note that you do not have to resubmit documents supplied with a previous application if the information contained in these documents is still upto- date. Provide a certified copy Provide a certified true copy of the original that bears the seal of the educational institution and the initials of the attesting registrar or student aid office employee. Profide a sworn statement The following persons are authorized to administer oaths: lawyers, notaries, justices of the peace, mayors, municipal clerks and commissioners of oaths. Some educational institutions and financial institutions appoint members of their staff to act as commissioners of oaths. Important! Documents that do not meet the requirements stated below will not be accepted. If you need help, contact the financial assistance office of your educational institution.

Procedure for updating personal information

Mailing address

If your mailing address is inaccurate or has changed		If you notice that your mailing address is inaccurate or has changed, you must inform us in your online file
		Important! If you stop or resume living with your parents at their residence after you have filed an application under the Loans and Bursaries Program for the current award year, you must also inform us of that change in your situation by filling out the form Declaration of Change - Student, which is available on the Quebec.ca/student-assistance website in the Forms section or in your online file. Mail it to the following address: Aide financière aux études 1035, rue De La Chevrotière, Québec (Québec) G1R 5A5 We wish to remind you that you must inform us of any change in your situation that occurs over the course of the year and that could affect the amount of assistance awarded to you.

Telephone number

How to enter or change your telephone number

You can enter one or more telephone numbers or change an existing number. For each number entered, you must specify the related category. You are not required to provide a number for each category.

E-mail address

How to enter or change your e-mail address		If you provide an e-mail address, be sure that it is valid. You must also be sure to enter the same e-mail address in both fields provided for that purpose.
How to ensure that you receive all our messages		Remember to notify us of any change in your e-mail address so that it is always possible for us to reach you. It is also important that you add our e-mail address (afe@education.gouv.qc.ca) to your list of approved senders (Contacts) to ensure that your mail filter does not block our e-mails.
The advantages of providing an e-mail address		Once you have provided an e-mail address, Aide financière aux études will communicate with you by e-mail. Providing an e-mail address is a fast and easy way to stay abreast of developments in your file. Instead of receiving a notice from Aide financière aux études by mail, you will receive an e-mail asking you to consult your online file. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt confirming that Aide financière aux études has received your form. Note that you will no longer receive certain documents by mail, including the Financial Assistance Statement. However, you will receive an e-mail each time there is a development in your file.

Your declared income

Important! If you have filed an application under the Loans and Bursaries Program and your income changes over the course of the year, you must immediately inform us of that change by filling out the form Declaration of Change – Student, which is available on the Quebec.ca/student-assistance website in the Forms section or in your online file.

We wish to remind you that you must inform us of any change in your situation that occurs over the course of the year and that could affect the amount of assistance awarded to you.

Procedure for consulting your personal information

In your online file, you can consult and update your information and you will find detailed information relating to your file, including messages we have sent you and the assessment results posted in the Financial Assistance Statement. You can consult the forms you previously filled out or sent, or you can fill out and send a new form, including an Application for Financial Assistance or Declaration of Change form.

The Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information obliges public bodies to only gather individually-identifiable information that is required to perform their duties or for the program management.

We require that personal information to be able to verify your identity when you communicate with us, to process your request by accessing the appropriate financial information and to guarantee the confidentiality of your information. That information is essential for us to have a clear understanding of your student financial assistance needs and to determine your eligibility for our financial assistance programs.

The information obtained by Aide financière aux études will only be used to grant you financial assistance if you qualify and, if applicable, to recover overpayments or your loan in the event that you do not respect the repayment terms and conditions.