1. Most applicants who are in Canada, will be asked for a RCMP PCC later in the process. It will depend on how long have you lived in Canada for. The instructions are available at
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how/canada.html
2. The progress bar will show up in 1-4 weeks, depends on when your application meets R10. The 6 months processing time starts from the day when the R10 is done and not AoR.
3. Biometrics is not a part of immigration law as such, it was recently added as a requirement in the IRPA. It is required, but the processing does not stop. Your application will continue to progress, but can only be approved after biometrics are on file.
For latest instructions on biometrics see
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/biometrics.html
Who needs to give biometrics
https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/biometrics.asp