So no worries for those who is abroad while application is in process. And don't get freaked out by the super long answers above, it's totally over-thinking.
as long as you meet all the criteria, and behave normally you will be just fine!
It is of course GOOD to KNOW that IRCC currently is NOT approaching at least SOME, and perhaps many, or perhaps even most applicants living abroad, with RQ-level skepticism. So your reporting is valuable information.
But the conclusion you draw from your experience is simply NOT valid.
The conclusion does NOT logically follow from the premise. There are scores and scores and scores of examples throughout just this forum illustrating this. There are significant logistical RISKS involved if an applicant goes abroad to live or work while the application is pending. There are elevated RISKS of non-routine processing and timeline delays.
How things go for one individual NEVER for-sure indicates how things will go for someone else. NEVER.
The fact you did not encounter either does NOT mean there are no such risks.
Even how things go for many or most applicants CANNOT be relied upon to indicate how things will for-sure go for someone else. Even when most of the facts, most of the circumstances, are nearly identical. THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE FACTS. And those differences can have a big impact
And this is important. A big part of what this forum is about is providing information which will help prospective applicants and applicants better navigate the process, help them make informed decisions. While many topics here are about specific rules and instructions, most of which can be answered by the Instruction Guide itself or otherwise learned by reading IRCC online information, a huge part of what this forum facilitates is identifying RISKS and PITFALLS, so that applicants can recognize the RISKS and then make decisions which will improve their odds of avoiding those they can avoid, better preparing for those they cannot avoid, or otherwise making decisions with due consideration for the potential consequences.
Just the logistical contingencies attendant living abroad significantly increase the RISKS of something going awry, apart from the obvious increased RISK of RQ. (The fact you did NOT have non-routine processing related to requests for more information about presence does NOT indicate the absence of this risk. Note: I personally had several elevated risk factors for RQ, but was NOT RQ'd, but I certainly prepared for it in case it happened, precisely because I had a higher risk of it than most.) While many prospective applicants who are headed abroad after applying may have priorities compelling them to do so notwithstanding the risks, for many postponing going abroad is readily feasible and likely a more prudent decision. Otherwise, those going abroad should be aware of the logistical hurdles and be prepared for the possibility of non-routine processing and delays, IN CASE that happens.
Another caveat: going forward, we are NOW less than a year away from the next Federal Election, and the outcome of that election could have a dramatic effect on how IRCC approaches applicants who are abroad. If, for example, the Conservatives form the next government, historically they have employed a very negative approach those who they describe as "applying-on-the-way-to-the-airport" (in fact, when they last had a majority government, not only was the risk of RQ and a very lengthy delay in processing the norm for those living or working abroad, they attempted to change the law to in effect make living abroad while the application was pending a stand-alone ground for outright denying the application).
