Dude, I didn't go through the whole thread, but what I think you mean is, deferring the admission offer, which is definitely possible. If you have enough guts, you can come in the middle of the year, too.
EDIT:
Yes, you can defer your admission. I did mine, and I came the next year instead of the year I applied to. It's no problem, I don't think they charge any extraneous fees or whatever.
I talked to an academic advisor about joining in Term 2 (because some universities do do that, Mac doesn't), and she said I could technically do that, but then would have to make up my courses in the summer. So if your friend's going to get their permit late, that's another option they could explore.
And then...well, they could just join late. >__> It would be a big pain in the neck, but it's possible. I've heard of someone who joined nearly a month late because of the very same reason of not having the permit yet.
THAT SAID. ^^^ IS all probably useless now considering you're going to talk to the registrar anyway.