After much thought about it and many trips to the country, my partner and I decided to apply for the SMC resident visa, since we are fortunate enough to have enough points (albeit barely) to meet the threshold without a job offer. We realize this would result in a JSV for my partner (the principal applicant), but that is not the concern -- it's more about having some certainty about our long-term status once all is done and dusted.
Speaking of that certainty (or lack thereof), although the fee was deducted around March 10, as of May 20 we still had not been assigned a CO according to the INZ call center. We were quoted a time of "3-6 months" for said assignment, but my partner forgot to ask if that was from the time of lodgement or from the time of our call. I am aware of the statistics posted on their site saying that 75% of SMC applications get resolved within 7 months, etc., but I would at least be curious to know how long we can expect the CO assignment process to take. Hoping people with a similar situation to ours could speak to their experience. Thanks in advance!