Birth Certificate worries and Name Change

[JonasMichaels 0]

Hi all, I'm Jonas and just starting out on this journey

Had a quick question. I was just going to send in my passport pages as the instruction say you can send EITHER your passport or birth certificate. I am a Caucasian American.

However, I am concerned after reading this site that at the interview, I will be asked to submit my birth certificate anyway. About 11 years ago, I legally changed my name, first middle and last. I do have documentation of that. My passport name is not the same name on my birth certificate.

My question to VJ was this: Would it be best to send my birth certificate with name change documentation to the USCIS or wait until I am asked for it? I was just a little concerned it would make me look like a "seedy character"

I am very thankful to have this site and thank everyone for their contribution.

Jonas

[payxibka 10,045]

However, I am concerned after reading this site that at the interview, I will be asked to submit my birth certificate anyway.

The purpose of the document is to establish that you are a USC.... your passport does that quite well....

Once the petition is approved there is no secondary adjudication by a foreeign consulate officer.... If there are questions about the validity of you US citizenship it will be resolved long before it gets to the interview stage (because the petition cannot be approved if there is a question)....

While it is said on VJ by many that the CO can ask for any original document... I have not read anywhere here, where an original document was requested of the USC (where a copy was provided with the initial petition) at the consulate interview.

[pushbrk 12,898]

However, I am concerned after reading this site that at the interview, I will be asked to submit my birth certificate anyway.

The purpose of the document is to establish that you are a USC.... your passport does that quite well....

Once the petition is approved there is no secondary adjudication by a foreeign consulate officer.... If there are questions about the validity of you US citizenship it will be resolved long before it gets to the interview stage (because the petition cannot be approved if there is a question)....

While it is said on VJ by many that the CO can ask for any original document... I have not read anywhere here, where an original document was requested of the USC (where a copy was provided with the initial petition) at the consulate interview.

Yes, a photocopy of all pages (even the blank ones) of your US passport would be the simplest way to give evidence of US Citizenship.

[psiprez 3]

If it were me, I'd send my birth certificate, proof of legal name change (in your case, the court order), and copies of all pages of my passport.

Since you have all the documentation at hand, why wouldn't you just send it up front?

Don't second guess... best to avoid a long delay due to an RFE by just sending it now.

Legal name changes are not so unusual that it would seem "seedy". People have all sorts of personal reasons for changing their names. Women must send the same proof to prove they had changed their name after a previous marraige. I had to send in my birth certificate, previous marraige certificate, and current passport to prove my name change.