but my wife does plan to come visit me until I get approved, providing it doesn't take a long amount of time, ... I feel she does not need to provide proof in the application.
If she is just visiting, even if it is for quite a long while, she most likely won't have to present proof of intent to return. If the VO wants that, he/she will probably ask for it, not just deny you without asking for that proof.
Usually if an applicant is still fairly young, and can speak English or French well, the VO will assume they will be able to get a job in Canada - unless there is some obvious reason why they couldn't. So less proof of the sponsor's ability to support the couple will be looked for. Some discussion of your plans when you get to Canada, with proof, can be included in the application. So you could provide a copy of your university degree and a letter of reference from an employer, and state you hope to get a job in ____ field. Your wife could state she will be starting to work full time once she graduates, and show a letter from her employer offering her full-time work (or whatever similar evidence you could get). Definitely get an affidavit from her parents stating they will provide housing and will help support the two of you while you get settled.
I've only seen a couple of cases where the PR visa was refused because the VO believed there was no way the couple could support themselves. I've seen plenty of cases where actually, it looked a bit doubtful to me that they could support themselves, but where the visa was issued anyway.
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