Thanks Legalfalcon. Very informative links. Is the security check the same as security screening? The one that can take up to 12 months?
This should be security check, but that is just based on status change in MyCIC. If your friend needs to be sure, they should order GCMS notes and see if their eligibility is Passed, which is the only conclusive way of knowing. To order notes, see:
https://www.getgcms.com
To know what all stages an application goes through, see - https://www.getgcms.com/blog/express-entry-application-processed/
To know how GCMS notes look like, see - https://www.getgcms.com/blog/gcms-notes-look-like-order/
Hope this helps!