A client of ours finished QA testing an app update a week late and missed the cutoff for 32-bit support. The app is built on an old framework that is tightly integrated with libraries only built for 32-bit. We are fully aware that this stale code will need to be updated, but this update has already taken much more development time than anticipated, so we would like to make it available as soon as possible. Is there any process for requesting a one-time exemption to avoid delaying App Store submission any longer?
Request temporary one-time exemption to 64-bit deadline?
I have never heard of such a process. I think you'll have to support 64 bit.
There's exactly one thing you can do:
1. Submit your application, and appeal the rejection if you're rejected for not having 64-bit code. It's anyone's guess whether your appeal will be successful, but that's really the only thing you can do.
If the application submission process automatically rejects your app, then you're completely out of luck and you're just going to have to do whatever you have to do.