lets tel a story ... he traveled and while traveling he received an email stating that he is eligible to sponsor, he applied while he was abroad online ,although he was abroad and stayed for 5 month ,his status in Canada was a resident and meanwhile he didnt carry any other residency ( only an example of a case ,so is he legally a resident of Canada ( in principle yes ...) he came back to Canada ( again lets say...) worked a bit things didnt go well and then had to work abroad three years passed by ,application accepted conditional of him providing proof that he will be living in Canada ,a house a family, a contract of work or a business all the good reason to say im staying and providing for the family ( if he can prove it ...again an example ) meanwhile all income should be reported in CRA ,so taxed accordingly as a Canadian citizen living abroad ( Canadian citizen and most probably not a permanent resident why because ...most probably the best condition might ...might go as an advantage for citizens versus permanent residence ) you cannot force a Canadian citizen to be stuck waiting for our beloved case officers until they have time to look over our files while the federal government doesn't have enough employees ( ...and even if they did ) , nor answer your calls nor respond to your emails ( even if they do...),the people ..the Citizens by law cannot be restraint while the file is under the processing flag . but is obliged to prove his status ...only until they arrive ...after that ...its a different bedtime story ...because his duty is financial...and if its financial it doesnt matter if the money is coming from a province ,a country or a different continent ,and the only legal default will be in that case ,is being liable legally and he needs to reimburse the government each penny that was paid in case he didnt provide them with it . and that will be the only default that he will be facing ,because his obligation is not a physical presence but a financial one ( maybe ..perhaps..) not an advice ...not even a thought ...its a bed time story