i have to leave Thailand on January 28th. I need to be gone for 4 days so that when I come back. I will the Visa exempt for 60 days. That way, I can get my 154 days or 5 months that I am in Thailand.
My wife did the I130 6 years ago. They kept her passport and put the visa in there. It took about 10 days to receive it back. We had to leave Thailand to the USA within 90 days.
I had the same journey with my thai wife. It's a waiting game. All you can do is wait they are back logged. Not all immigration offices are that bad it depends on where you file. Ours was through Cleveland Ohio.