Actually most reported RQ these days is issued at or following the test/interview.
For a couple years now there have been rather few reports of pre-test RQ, which has typically been issued by the CPC in Sydney. I'm guessing this still happens, but not nearly so frequently as in the past. If that happens, of course that would be within a relatively short period of time following the application being shown as IP (since, again, that is usually the result of screening in the CPC prior to file referral to a local office). I would be surprised, however, if the timeline is consistently less than 3 weeks.
The imposition of PPQ-QAE, for which there has been a surge of reports sufficient to infer there is indeed a surge in the number of applicants affected, also appears to be determined in CPC-Sydney, so here too this likely happens within a relatively short period of time following AOR and IP, but here too I would be surprised if the timeline is consistently less than 3 weeks.
Applicants given PPQ-QAE (according to the correspondence sent by IRCC) are "RANDOMLY selected." To the extent that is true, you are as safe or not safe as any other applicant regardless your travel history.
Otherwise, anyone can be issued RQ or a PPQ at virtually any stage of the process. While it is highly unusual, there have been cases in which an applicant has been scheduled to take the oath, pulled from the oath ceremony on the day of the oath, and issued RQ.
In the meantime, the vast majority of qualified applicants will NOT be issued either RQ or the PPQ. To that extent, most qualified applicants are safe from RQ. BUT there is no guarantee, far from it.
