Has anyone had an experience like this?
As
@Qwertypod said, If your relationship is genuine, you have no reason to be worried. If you're considering committing immigration fraud, just be aware that if you're caught, you will face serious criminal charges, be deported, and barred from entering Canada for 5 years. Oh, and it'll be on your record
forever. If you're the sponsor, you'll still be held accountable to reimburse the government for whatever financial assistance the applicant claims for the first 3 years (no matter whether you're still in a relationship with that person).
There's a ton of other options other than being sponsored/sponsoring someone. You should look into them.