Hi,
@cc31,
@canadapr, Sorry for the late reply; I was away on holidays so without access to emails.
1. We got granted an extension of 1 month (30 days).
2. I didn't provide any proof with the request email but was very clear about the reasons and included all the dates etc and also included the exact date till which I needed an extension.
3. The response was really very simple and straightforward - have copied it below
"Dear Sir/Madam, Please note that your passport submission date was extended to
xyz/2017. You are requested to provide our office with your passport before this date for finalization of your application."
4. they are usually good granting extensions so I really don't think they won't grant an extension if you have a genuine reason. As for what happens if you aren't granted an extension; I am not really sure. A more probable outcome is you don't get a response in time, in which case, from my experience I recommend to try contacting via several means if you don't get a response. (email to the office, case specific query form on CIC website, other means if you can find these).