Client Testimonials

Below are testimonials of people who have used CTR and Associates and were willing to share their experiences.

Tourist Visa B2: William Rowley

Cathy Tran Reck helped my Thai girlfriend, Pam, obtain a B-2 Tourist Visa to the US.  Despite the fact that Pam does not have strong financial ties to Thailand, Cathy encouraged us to focus on my background of having worked and lived in Thailand for several years. Cathy provided extremely valuable advice to Pam and I regarding the DS-160 application, the interview process and how to provide user friendly supporting documents to the US Embassy personnel.

Cathy prepared Pam for the interview by suggesting brief and accurate answers to questions that would probably be asked by the interviewing officer.  Working with Cathy was a pleasure.  She promptly responded to my emails and phone calls, and she spent a lot of time during our consultation to make sure that Pam understood what to expect when she arrived at the US Embassy for her interview.

I would highly recommend Cathy to anyone who is seeking a B-2 Tourist Visa to the US for their Thai girlfriend.

William Rowley,

Bangkok, Thailand

Widow Penalty: I-360 Widow Petition Based on Deceased US Citizen

My uncle married a very nice Thai lady several years ago and they had a son together.  Sadly, before my uncle and his wife were married for two years, he had a heart attack and died.  Due to the Widow Penalty she was unable to apply for her residency visa.   In October of 2009, the Widow Penalty ended thanks to an attorney Brent Renison in Portland, Oregon who had worked to end the Widow Penalty, for several years.

I contacted to inquire if he knew anyone that could help me get everything going for my uncle’s widow and her Thai son to be able to come to the US to live and work.   Brent recommended Cathy Tran Reck to me.  I contacted her via email and explained the situation, told her what I wanted to do for my uncle’s widow, ask what I needed to do to start the process, the cost and about the length of time before everything was done.  Cathy responded back to me immediately, outlining the entire process from start to finish, a breakdown of the costs and the time frame for completion.

Cathy has been amazing.  She was very knowledgeable on the Widow Penalty and the law change.  The application process has been approved and we are now in the final stage of the process.  She has been in touch with me on a regular basis to keep me informed of what is happening, the communications she’s had with the government officials, where we are in the process and informing me of what the next step will be in the process.

Cathy has personally telephoned me on several occasions for information I could understand and provide better than my uncle’s widow.  Cathy has personally met and explained the process in detail to my uncle’s widow, answered all her questions and advised her of what would be expected of her in the process.  My uncle’s widow told me that Cathy is a very, very nice lady and she likes her very much.

Cathy has definitely lived up to her recommendation and gone beyond.  If you have questions, she’s quick to give you answers.  She is always pleasant, has never made me feel as though I was bothering her or that she was too busy to talk with me when I would call.   Cathy made me feel that my case was as much a priority to her as it was to me.  Her passion and dedication made me feel important and she always provided excellent, personal service all the way from Thailand.

It’s refreshing to meet someone who is caring and honest.  She doesn’t build up your hopes, drain your bank account and then tell you it just can’t happen.  Cathy is honest from the get go.  She won’t make you promises she can’t keep.

Melody S Hagerty
Vancouver, Washington

Ki Fiance Visa & Student Visa: Stuart Schwartzberg

I am an American citizen by birth, and my wife is a naturalized U.S. citizen.  She petitioned for two of her adult daughters to immigrate to the U.S., and they were placed on a “priority” waitlist that currently takes six years to be called.  Her third and youngest daughter immigrated to the U.S. with her as she was not yet an adult at that time.  We tried several times to obtain a visitor visa for the oldest daughter, but were denied the visa each time.  After much frustration and failure, when the oldest daughter became engaged to an American citizen, we turned to one of the “visa agencies” that claim to be able to obtain a U.S. visa without difficulty so that she could apply for a fiancée visa.  We also used the same agency to apply for a visa for our seven year old granddaughter, so that she could come on a visitor visa and subsequently convert it to a student visa.  It turns out that these visa agencies do nothing more than fill out the forms.  They are not recognized by the U.S. Embassy and cannot even enter the grounds of the embassy.  After spending a large amount of money paying their fees, the visas were denied.

At that point, I researched the internet for a U.S. immigration lawyer to help us.  We found Cathy Tran Reck and contacted her.  Cathy immediately gave us sound advice and we retained her services.  Cathy was instrumental in overcoming the obstacles we previously encountered, and had access to the embassy and the visa section, where she was personally able to contact the visa officers directly.  The end result is that our daughter is now in the U.S.A. and is happily married.  Our granddaughter obtained a student visa and is living with us in New York while attending school.  We are hopeful that her mother (the last of my wife’s three daughters to remain in Thailand) will join us next year.

I highly recommend Cathy to anyone needing immigration assistance.  She is extremely knowledgeable and personally handles each case.  I found out the hard way that only a licensed U.S. attorney can access the embassy on our behalf.  I have since recommended Cathy to all of my friends seeking to marry a Thai woman.  Her fees are reasonable and she is very responsive to questions and concerns.  Cathy clearly had the ability to turn a hopeless situation into a successful resolution.

Stuart Schwartzberg
Wappinger Falls, New York

Tourist Visa B2: Wayne Davis

Cathy Tran Reck assisted my efforts to obtain a visitor’s visa for my fiancée to allow her to visit the U.S. with me.  The initial application for a visa was refused by the U.S. embassy.  The reason given, that my fiancée had insufficient ties to her native country, Thailand, was clearly not true.  All of my efforts to get the embassy to disclose the true reason for the denial were rebuffed, only the same boiler-plate 214(b) response was given.  Even my U.S. senator got the same standard response.  Finally, in desperation, I used Google to search for a U.S. immigration attorney practicing in Bangkok.  Cathy came up at the top of the list.  When I phoned for an appointment and discussed the case with her she told me that, in her opinion, the problem was that we had planned to be married during the U.S. visit and that this would be considered as contrary to the terms of a tourist visa.  We dropped the plans for the wedding during the trip, it was an afterthought anyway, and following Cathy’s advice we strengthened our documentation of my fiancee’s ties to Thailand including adding an English translation of deeds of property that my fiancee owns and a translation of the deed to my condo in Bangkok.  The embassy web page and the embassy’s responses to my emails had strongly emphasised that I could not sponsor my fiancée’s trip, that her visa application would be considered on her merits only.  Cathy pointed out that my strong ties to Thailand strengthened my fiancée’s case so in addition to a translation of my condo deed I submitted copies of my passport and the three years of Thailand retiree visas.

My fiancée’s second visa interview was successful.  I am certain that the success was due to Cathy’s advice and highly recommend her for U.S. immigration matters.

Feel free to contact me to confirm this recommendation (except for 30 June through 16 July 2010 when my fiancée and I will be in the U.S.).
Wayne Davis
Bangkok, Thailand

K1 Fiancee Visa: Roy Joslin

I met Cathy Tran Reck back in November 2007 after an exhaustive search for an immigration lawyer.  I was looking for a lawyer which had extensive knowledge and experience within the immigration laws and in particularly the Fiancee Visa process.  I definitely wanted a lawyer who was also licensed to practice in the United States.  I had consulted with numerous other immigration lawyers (locally and abroad) prior to meeting Cathy and after the initial consultation with Cathy I knew this was the lawyer that I had been searching for!  Cathy answered all my initial questions in thorough detail and comprehensible manner.  I chose Cathy and her associates as my sole immigration attorney for all my legal issues which may arise while going through the Fiancee Visa process and with any possible future issues after the process was completed.

In my opinion Cathy’s firm went above and beyond my expectations from what I was expecting from an immigration lawyer.  All communication with Cathy from the beginning to the end and in every aspect was conducted in a very professional manner which I cannot say enough about.  I myself, being in the Law Enforcement profession for eighteen years, realize how far professionalism and professional conduct accounts for a person and their work ethics in today’s society and Cathy displays such above and beyond in my personal opinion.  I and my lovely wife fully and without any doubt would recommend Cathy and her firm for any and all of someone’s needs relating to any of her firm’s practices.

Roy & Hang Joslin
Parrish, Florida