From my experience, a recruiting center may elect to close your file after a specified period (this may be literally one year, or at year's end when all trades are generally closed for recruiting). I think the "one year" speech is the standard line they give everyone but as with everything in the military it depends. It took me two and a half years to get the final approval for entry into the CF, and during that period my file was closed only once, almost two years in.
I'd suggest calling your recruiting center and asking them directly what they intend. If you have a contact that you have a good rapport with there I would also suggest speaking to that person directly, assuming they haven't been reassigned (which can happen a lot if you're in for year+ wait). Find out what you have to do to reopen or keep open your file. I managed to keep my file open longer than usual by approaching the Captain that interviewed me the first time directly (be careful with that though - I wouldn't call a Captain unless you were handed a card in person by them and told to call if you needed anything - they have better things to do and are not all approachable). My file ended up getting closed later on because I moved to a new city, my file was transferred to the local CFRC, and they did not care what arrangements had been made. But the point is, if you have a contact who's offered to help you, take them up on it.
Also, it is true that your medical expires after one year. Aptitudes do not (at least mine didn't - I'd initially taken them 8 years ago when I was first thinking about joining and was never asked to take them again). I did have to interview 3 times though. If you know you are going to run over the one-year mark you may want to arrange re-tests/interviews in advance to avoid any unnecessary delays. The last thing you want is for an opening to pop up and be unable to proceed due to administrative hang ups.
If I could offer some unsolicited advice about your wait - stay on top of it. Call and find out what is happening with your file now, and at this and every time going forward when you speak to someone ask them specifically when you can expect to hear something or when and for what purpose you should next be in touch with them. Write it down, and make sure you follow up. When waiting for a follow-up call, if you don't get it within the specified period give it one week then call yourself and ask for an update. If they have no update ask them again when you should check in. Be proactive but not a pain in the ass - make contact according to schedule and only for the specified reason.
You can also get away with calling the general line once a month and asking for a "status update" on your file (again don't pester your insiders with this - literally call the general inquiry line, some CFRCs even have an extension specifically for status updates). It takes all of two minutes and doesn't annoy anyone except maybe the guy stuck answering the phones that day, and it can sometimes get the ball rolling again suddenly - sometimes your file has been updated and it's just that no one has gotten around to calling you yet. Remember there are thousands of people going through this process at any given time. Recruiting centres are busy, staff is rotating all the time and things get lost or forgotten or missed. If nothing else is going on you need to be checking in once a month or you risk getting lost in the shuffle.
