It's worth nothing that you should take the 'intent to return to Canada' part seriously - and also continue to gather info / prepare during process (after applying).Ah ok that’s not bad at all I was thinking 12 months or a bit more, so maybe less is a bonus. I’m currently getting paperwork together to apply. Thanks for that information
There's been a spate of files where visa offices have asked for additional documents showing this later in the process; my impression is that this isn't so much them being more 'strict' per se but now routinely asking for more, updated info later (which you'd still need to provide). (Beyond this I'd be guessing about why this is happening)