The mere fact that you received a FP request makes your application non-routine. The processing time stats provided on the website only reflect routine applications. Again, you cannot "see" if your application is routine or non-routine from GCMS notes. You can find this out only if your MP reaches out to IRCC and gets your file for you. In this case, I know getting FP makes the application non-routine because I have seen such cases before. Submitting FP request doesn't mean that BG checks are complete. It means that your BG checks are progressing (and that is good, any progress is good!). One more thing you should know is that the security clearance received for your application is valid only for 1 year (and that's based on the general understanding, I'll have to look for evidence for this). If more than 1 year has passed since the clearance has been issued, IRCC will request you for another set of prints. I have seen this happen to several applicants on the forum.
Well, when applicants say "all their checks are completed", that has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Usually, there is NO WAY (that I know) to see the status of your security checks. It generally doesn't show up on the GCMS notes. Getting your MP to fetch details from IRCC might reveal the status of the BG checks (I'm not very sure about this) so don't quote me on that (but that might be the only way to know the status of your BG checks).
From my experience, though Criminality says Passed, the status of security usually is redacted (and there is no way for the applicant to know the status of security/ BG checks).
Yes, several December 2020 applicants who applied online have received test invitations in a very short time but remember, there are a large number of applicants who are still waiting. Not everyone who applies online will see quick processing - application processing speeds depends on numerous factors - the complexity of the application, application being routine/non-routine, the workload and the efficiency of the processing office, the workload and efficiency of the officer processing the particular case, the time taken for BG checks to be returned from RCMP/CSIS among others. Just because a few applicants saw quick processing times doesn't mean everyone else will see the same thing. Further, there are restrictions on who can apply online. If you are applying with a family or if you are under 18 / over 55, you can't apply online. You'll have to be a single applicant to apply online at this time.
Canceling an existing application that has been in process for one year with no guarantees whatsoever that you'll see a faster processing time with online applications and foregoing the fee that was paid doesn't make much sense to me. Canceling this application will certainly put you behind and your application will have to be processed from scratch. Most applicants will NOT do this (speaking from experience). I know this because when Express Entry was first introduced in 2015, the sentiment of applicants on the forum who had applied for PR in 2013 and 2014 (who were still waiting) was NOT to cancel their applications altogether and apply via Express Entry. They waited for their paper PR applications to be processed.
Having said that, to each his/her own. I am not telling anyone what to or what not to do. I am just providing my opinion on how this might pan out. At the end of the day, it is up to the applicants to decide what is best for them.
