One guy I work with stated, that it is not a good idea to apply for a visitor visa if you have an outstanding sponsorship application in process. He told me it could POSSIBLY cause problems with the PR application.
If it is spousal sponsorship, I suggest to avoid any visitor visa during the processing time. It is a matter of few months only. If sponsoring others, the time line is too long and it may not be a problem for getting visit visas.
My wife applied for a temp visa after my sponsorship was approved. She was provided it, and came to visit over Christmas, and then went back home. 3 weeks later we were informed of the perm visa being approved.
