That's incorrect. He can be successfully sponsored while in the U.S. illegally. Nothing in IRCC's rules prevents this and we've seen a number of successful cases on this forum. It's very doable.
Hello Scylla,
I have posted almost the same situation as this in the past before I decided to marry my fiance who lives in the US illegally for 12 years and you gave your positive insights regarding my situation.
I just would like to share my update and timeline:
We got married in July 2018
Sept. 24, 2018 - Spousal app sent to Sydney, NS
Sept. 26, 2018 - App received
Dec. 19, 2018 - AOR1, GCkey linked
Jan. 25, 2019 - Sponsorship Approved
Jan. 30, 2019 - Medical Request
Feb. 1, 2019 - App transferred to MVO
Feb. 5, 2019 - Medical done in LA, Ca
Feb. 12, 2019 - Medical passed
Feb. 26, 2019 - Pre-arrival services inv
Still waiting for:
Additional documents if any
Background check
Decision (for PA)/ AOR2,
PPR, Visa