Received my AOR today. A little surprised to have received it on a Sat afternoon!
I actually sent my application online in Feb but had to resend it in Aug. Full story below..
After submitting the online app in Feb, I got an email on August 18 (when other Feb applicants were getting AORs) from cic saying there was an issue with the fee receipt document. Rightly so, as I had uploaded the wrong pdf for fee receipt (stupid, I know!). In order to correct my mistake, I had to resubmit the application online but not just with the correct fee receipt but also had to update few things like the physical presence calculator for the current date and a couple of other changes made to the online application process since Feb. It was almost like filling up the application again, just with parts of it already filled up (data retained from Feb submission). I completed everything and submitted the application again the same evening.
I wasn't sure how my application will be treated, that is, if it'll be reviewed immediately once I updated it (still being considered a Feb applicant) or if all previous stuff will be ignored and it'll be considered as app submitted in Aug. I did not receive any further communication from cic after the resubmission until today with the AOR. So it's almost certain that for all practical purposes, my application is considered as sent in Aug.
Just wanted to update here so that it can help anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.