Deferring your study permit intake while the application is still pending — do you need to notify IRCC?

A study permit application filed in February for a May intake was still pending when the applicant deferred to a September intake, and they asked whether to proactively update IRCC via webform or wait for the decision.

1. One view: submit the update now via webform. Doing it after approval means you'd need to separately extend your study permit later, so updating the LOA proactively while the application is still in process avoids that extra step.


2. Another view: no update needed if the gap is within 150 days. If the new intake falls within 150 days of the originally approved intake, IRCC does not require you to notify them of the deferral — the existing approval remains valid without action.

Takeaway: check the gap between your original and new intake dates first. If it's within roughly 150 days, you likely don't need to do anything; if it's beyond that, submitting a webform with the updated LOA while your application is still pending can save you from a separate study permit extension down the line.