Student loan default

I had a student loan about 11 years ago. When I finished school I started to repay it back but got sick and have been un able to work since. My living conditions had become so bad in the USA that I had to leave to my native country. Obviously I could not repay it back. I tried to get the loan forgiven because of my disability but could not.

Now my relatives in the USA are being harassed to provide info about me. My question is, as I can not repay this loan back, and being that I am no longer in the USA, can they pursue me where I live now even though its another country? I have been able to maintain myself somewhat here with some help, but can no way afford to pay the loan back.

Technically they can but due to cost and the complexity of such lawsuits etc. they normally will not do so...

Student loans are government subsidized, and as such, they must be paid back. There is no statute of limitations on these types of loans. You'd have to show a pretty long term hardship in order to avoid paying it off. It may be possible to get a deferment. Attorneys refer to this as an "iron lung" hardship, because, barring living in one for the rest of your life, it is extremely difficult to get a loan forgiven.

Yes, it will still haunt you even after you've moved out of the country. This is where many people get confused. Moving out of the country does not absolve a person of the debt they incurred while living, working, or studying in another country, at least not in the U.S. It is a note you agree with your signature to repay, and as such, you are responsible for paying it back.

It would be in your best interest to try to find a way to repay the loan, whether it's an agreement to pay $10 a month or $20, it's best to try and do so.

Not being able to pay a loan back due to financial difficulty is not a defensible excuse for not repaying a loan.

Of course, your relatives. are under no obligation to provide information about you.

I have tried to pay back in smaller amounts, but it was a no go. The minimum they wanted was I believe 169.00, since I have not worked since 2000 this was impossible for me to pay. I tried several ways of either have it deferred, financial hardship, but never got any approved. Not trying to get a free trip out of it by not paying it, like I said I have paid towards it when I was able to do so. I am just unable to do so now.

I know that sooner or later I will have to pay it back, and I would like to return to the USA in the future, and its worst that it will be later than sooner as the interest and fees will have increased the amount, but for now there is nothing I can do. Too bad that the government spends billions on weapons to kill other people yet it is so hard for someone as myself that has been down for several years not to get a small loan forgiven.

Originally Posted by Unregistered Student loans are government subsidized, and as such, they must be paid back. There is no statute of limitations on these types of loans. You'd have to show a pretty long term hardship in order to avoid paying it off. It may be possible to get a deferment. Attorneys refer to this as an "iron lung" hardship, because, barring living in one for the rest of your life, it is extremely difficult to get a loan forgiven. Yes, it will still haunt you even after you've moved out of the country. This is where many people get confused. Moving out of the country does not absolve a person of the debt they incurred while living, working, or studying in another country, at least not in the U.S. It is a note you agree with your signature to repay, and as such, you are responsible for paying it back. It would be in your best interest to try to find a way to repay the loan, whether it's an agreement to pay $10 a month or $20, it's best to try and do so. Not being able to pay a loan back due to financial difficulty is not a defensible excuse for not repaying a loan. Of course, your relatives. are under no obligation to provide information about you.

How have you been surviving all these years without any sort of income? Just curious.

When a person borrows money, they are expected to pay it back. That's really the long and short of it. You can wax about billions spent in weapons all you want but that really has nothing to do with the fact that you applied for, received and accepted a loan and you agreed to pay it back. Entities that loan money have their own financial problems and they also have bills to pay. If we all started shirking our responsibilities then the economy would be devastated.

This is going to continue to haunt you until an agreeable financial settlement occurs. It is not going to go away.