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Student Loan Forgiveness for Living Abroad: Myth vs Reality

Quick Answer: Student loan forgiveness programs for living or working in poor foreign countries do not exist for U.S. federal student loans. Current forgiveness programs require public service or teaching work within designated low-income areas in the United States, not abroad.

“Dear Steve,

I am an American born citizen but my retired father raised me partly in a poor section of Brazil. 18 years to be exact. I am now 34 and have a student debt of 10500.00 dollars. I heard of a policy that forgives those who worked full time for ten years in a poor foreign country (like in my case).

How do I apply for this “debt forgivness policy”? How do I know what information I need to provide for it to apply to me?

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Dear Kelly,

I’ve never heard of such a program. The low income programs for student loan forgiveness I am familiar with require someone to work in a public service or teaching job in the U.S. in a designated area.

I seriously doubt you Brazil time will aid you in forgiving your student loans but a good question to ask.

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Please post your responses and follow-up messages to me on this in the comments section below.

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Steve Rhode The Get Out of Debt Guy | Consumer Debt Expert
Consumer debt expert & investigative writer. Personal bankruptcy survivor (1990). Washington Post award-winning author. Exposing debt scams since 1994.

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