"According to FinCen's website, the agency received Mt. Gox's registration on Thursday" where the WSJ conveniently found it in time to publicize it on Friday.
A government agency receives an application and publicizes it on its website on the same day or within a day? Hmmn.
Gox may not yet have been told their registration has been approved. Come to think of it - the story doesn't actually say it has been approved. Is approval necessary? I assume Gox has to get some kind of response before they can breathe any easier.
Is registering the same thing as applying?
I don't know how it works. I would guess you are not registered until you get some paper back from FinCen. Otherwise companies could just say they had sent in their registration and it must have gotten lost in the mail.