OSAP Appeals

Legal Guardian Review

For OSAP purposes, a Legal Guardian means a person with whom a dependent student resides or who is financially supporting the student in a parent-like relationship, but where the individual is not the student's parent, step-parent, or sponsor.

Court-appointed legal guardians do not always have an obligation to provide financial support and may instead have a more limited role of administering the student's financial affairs until he or she reaches the age of majority (in some cases this service is provided in return for remuneration), or in cases where a support obligation exists, these obligations may end when the student reaches the age of majority (18).

If a Legal Guardian demonstrates that he or she does not live with and/or financially support the dependent student, but is simply administering the student's financial affairs, the student, even if he or she is dependent as defined by OSAP, should be reassessed as an independent student.

If a Legal Guardian has an obligation to financially support the student that is set out in a court order, but the obligation ends when the student reaches the age of majority, the student, even if he or she is dependent as defined by OSAP, should be reassessed as an independent student upon reaching the age of majority.

Documentation required:

• a detailed letter from the Legal Guardian outlining his/her relationship with the student and identifying whether he/she is living with or financially supporting the student; or
• if applicable, a copy of the Court Order specifying that the legal guardian is not legally required to continue to financially support the student beyond the age of majority.