I have been MIA from this board for a bit...cuz you know we all need breaks during our wait sometimes...
But I have been watching the show Border Security this evening, and came online just to share this story I just saw on the show...and saw your question.
So it was an American woman with her Canadian husband, she had been in Canada 10 months and left back to the USA (Georgia). She was driving back into Canada with her son. They pulled her asides for extra questions. She told them she already had an inland PR in process and the found she had a bank account in Canada. They searched her car, and her laptop, and on her laptop found searches about how long you can legally stay in Canada, and information about a container she shipped to Canada.
They allowed her to stay since she had a plane ticket leaving just after xmas.
I have seen quite a few positive stories on here about those who have left and came back with no problems.
But...PLEASE....everyone thinking to leave...BEWARE! There is that chance if you get a very strict officer, or just one in a bad mood for whatever reason, they can legitimately cause you to loose your application!!
It is not fair! And it makes me upset to see that Canadian Border Service/Immigration Officers can be so without compassion in some circumstances. I am sooo happy to hear of all the positive experiences, but remember, they do warn you for a reason. While most visa exempt applicants can come and go during their process without problem, technically their job is to NOT allow those to enter who they don't think will leave.
Not to scare anyone, but when I saw that episode of Border Security, I just really felt it should be shared as a reminder to be cautious.