Comment by reaperducer

But this time around, even though I applied online, I was directed to make an appointment at the field office and physically walk in there, to prove my humanity.

I'm curious when this happened. The phrase "but this time around" makes it sound fairly recent. However, my wife had this very procedure required back in the 1990's.

She also had the same experience as you: Very friendly civil servants eager to help, and things were cleared up quickly once she understood the process.