sponsored my German husband for PR in Canada

[dreams]

Hi I am a born Canadian citizen living and working in Ottawa. I met my husband over the internet( he is German) over two years ago. He came to Canada and spent the next summer with me. He met an employer who hired him and he spent a year working here on a work permit. We lived together that year and became engaged to be married. We tried to extend his work permit but could not get a positive labor-market opinion. He applied for another job and received a positive labour -market opinion. We took that labour-market opinion and job offer to a port-of entry(thousand Island border). My husband(fiance at the time) received an exclusion order for one year. We were shocked and upset. We were told we were only trying to maintain his status in Canada.

Anyway, that was last June. since then he has been residing in Germany. We were married in July last summer in Germany. We applied in June for an authorization to return but were told by the Canadian embassy in Berlin that we were denied but we should apply for pr for my husband under family class. I have sponsored him and within 30 days,I had a positive confirmation from Mississauga. Now our application for pr is in Berlin(since last week).
Neither of us have had any criminal charges. Even the exclusion order states non-criminal. we just made a mistake with applying for another work permit.

Berlin had five months to look into our case. They have "strongly advised" us to apply for pr under family class. They told us they dont feel any compelling reason to give us an Authorization to Return. How long should our application take now? We have already been apart since June except for my two week visit to him in July when we were married. Please give us some time frame. thanks