I called IRCC today after almost 6 months of waiting. Our application was received October 29, 2020. The agent I spoke to verified our information and told me that they are currently doing the background check and once that's completed, sponsorship eligibility will be underway. I don't know how accurate any of this information is. He didn't give me an application number or anything but only offered to give me my temporary number, which we already have.
It's interesting that he says my background check is underway, since I'm not able to pull up anything on ECAS.
He did say that we should expect the AOR email sometime soon and mentioned that if they were going to return the application, they would have done so already. I hope this is all true. For now, he's put my mind at ease.
He was also able to update our address over the phone which is great.
Really glad I called.