I am not so sure as to why your application has not progressed from an "application received" stage to an "in process" one. My mom and I applied for her in September 2018, and our status was changed to "in process" in March 2020. I am a Canadian national and she is the one requesting an exemption on the basis of H and C reasons.
Given that your status has not changed. It means that your application has yet to be put into process, and once that happens it will then be assigned to a case processing officer for further adjudication and for the purpose of making a decision on your file.
Let's say if a positive decision is granted, you will then be notified to meet the other admissibility requirements, i.e. health, security, and criminality checks.