Sorry, maybe I should have added this extra detail. She is part of a double PhD program between her home university in Italy and Western University in Canada and is required to conduct her research at both places. She was officially accepted into both Universities last fall. To start her research at Western she came here as a visiting student upon receiving an invitation letter. The idea, as recommended/proposed by the department here, was to apply while she is in Canada since the processing time was faster since this would allow her to start her scheduled research here without any delays. In short, she had an official invitation from Western to come as a visiting student along with her official full-time acceptance into the PhD program. She did what was suggested by the department/university at the time.
Our biggest dilemma now is-can something be done to speed up this current application/should we stick with this application? Or should we delete the application and start a fresh one from outside Canada since she is now in Italy. Note that she does not need a visa to come to Canada, only a study permit to stay here more than 6 months as a full-time student.