The risk of non-routine processing is personal, relative to the particular facts and circumstances in the individual's own case. As you previously noted, some of the risk factors apply as much to applicants remaining in Canada.
It appears you have approached this process with about as much care and consideration as is practically feasible.
That said,
anyone can get RQ or be referred for a CBSA/NSSD background investigation regarding physical presence. So there is no guaranteed way to avoid the risk of RQ altogether, or other presence related non-routine processing.
Risk factors, like risk in life in general, are cumulative. Thus, for example, applicants who recognize they have this or that risk factor (mine was being self-employed providing services entirely exported abroad -- my business is in Canada, this is where I work, but all of what I do is sold to clients/customers outside Canada) should consider if they can offset that risk in other ways, such as waiting longer to apply with a more sustained paper and digital trail of a life in Canada and a bigger margin of presence (which is what I did).
Nonetheless, since the criteria for triggering a CBSA investigation is secret, and the RQ criteria has now been secret for nearly a decade (OB 407 was implemented in April 2012), the best prospective applicants can do is:
-- use common sense (examples: the more clearly settled in Canada at the time of the application, the lower the risk; the more ongoing residential or employment ties the applicant has outside Canada, the bigger the risk)
-- apply with a good margin of presence over the minimum (and if other risk factors are implicated, wait to apply with an even bigger margin; again referencing my own experience)
-- be accurate and complete in the application, and timely and appropriately respond to all requests and appear for events as scheduled
-- and some applicants may want to wait longer to apply if a significant part of their time in Canada was transient in nature; obviously, the more solid the address and work history while in Canada, the stronger the case, the less likely a total stranger bureaucrat will have questions or concerns about the applicant's physical presence
I realize that it may seem counter-intuitive, particularly for individuals coming from some socio-political-cultural backgrounds, but there is very little indication that financial success is much of a factor. Of course affluence can affect the overall picture in other ways that have positive influence, such as where it is reflected in address and employment stability (the applicant more clearly well-settled and established in Canada has less risk, obviously, that there will be questions about where they have been during the eligibility period). But generally, so far as I have seen, making more money does not make more points. (One of the many things I like about Canada.)
For the applicant who relocates abroad, affluence can be a big factor in the logistical risks, like being able to return to Canada on short notice.
But for PRs like
@younan02, for example, the devil is in the details. The particular facts and circumstances in THEIR own particular situation, AND their own HISTORY, will influence how much risk there is they will encounter non-routine processing, potential delays, and for some potentially a strict approach to assessing their qualifications which, again depending on the specific details in their case, could even jeopardize the outcome.
FINALLY . . . impressions matter. I have emphasized again and again that apart from the essentials, that is apart from actually meeting the eligibility requirements, properly completing the application, and following through with the process,
the next most important factor is the applicant's credibility. A factor that is very, very difficult to define. A factor that is not amenable to formulaic criteria (except the obvious: the more mistakes or discrepancies there are in an applicant's information, the more damage that does to the applicant's credibility). But a factor that can have a huge impact on how things go. Many in this forum are adverse to acknowledging the negative impact on credibility it can have if they appear to be exploiting the Canadian immigration system for the purpose of obtaining a Canadian passport with little intent to actually settle in Canada permanently. But only a modicum of common-sense is needed to see how that perception, that appearance, that impression, can lead a total stranger bureaucrat to have questions and go digging deeper, and to do so with a not particularly favourable frame of mind.
