Fortunately, the app finally entered the review process, although it was immediately rejected. The feedback stated: "No 'age verification' mechanism was found in the app."
In reality, the app did include a KYC (Know Your Customer) verification module—which is why we had selected the "age verification" option during the initial submission. However, since the KYC module was primarily for compliance purposes, we changed the setting to "no age verification mechanism" as requested and resubmitted the app.
That covers the specifics of the review process. For your reference, here is the timeline of the actions we took:
August 13 (Pacific Time): Submitted the app for review.
August 19: Submitted a Developer Support ticket.
August 20: Requested an expedited review.
August 23: Followed up on the Developer Support ticket.
August 23: Posted on the developer forums asking for help.
August 24: Replied to the forum post, asking Apple to confirm if the review queue was functioning correctly.
August 25 (7:51 AM): Received a reply from the Developer Support team stating that our review queue was normal.
August 25 (7:12 PM): Received the app rejection notice.
I am not sure exactly which step made the difference, or if the app simply reached the front of the review queue. However, if you are facing a long wait, I recommend taking these measures: submit a Developer Support ticket, request an expedited review, and seek help on the forums.
That concludes my experience; I look forward to Apple moving the review process forward and will keep everyone updated on the progress.