If your college defers your intake (e.g. from September to January) while your study permit application is still processing, it's not obvious whether you need to proactively tell IRCC or just wait for a decision.
What group members discussed:- One view: no need to notify if the deferral is under ~150 days, since minor date shifts within that window may not require action.
- A stronger recommendation: proactively submit a webform or email with the new LOA. This ensures that if your application is approved, the visa will be issued valid through your actual (deferred) program completion date — avoiding a scenario where you'd need to apply for an extension later while already in Canada.
The practical takeaway: submitting a webform/email with your updated LOA as soon as you receive the deferral is the safer path — it aligns your eventual visa validity with your real program end date and avoids extra extension paperwork down the line, even though some believe smaller deferrals don't strictly require notification.