I have an update, my civil status has finally been registered and now my file can move on to the next stage. It took 15 months for this step to be completed. It seems that here the duration of the process really varies from person to person. So this doesn't mean that it will take this long for everyone still waiting.

Anyway I'm just glad that's done now. From what I have read here Cantonal and Federal approval take about 6 months so hopefully I will be done by early spring. I started the process back in August 2018 so 6 more months of waiting seems like nothing now. The patience test is a real thing people!