UK AOS 2009 Thread

[Gemmie 142]

I asked this in the UK forum but we didn't want to get off-topic;

I'm considering keeping my name and changing it after a wedding happens (perhaps next year); would this cause a problem with AOS?

Edited May 8, 2009 by Gemmie

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hi Gemmie--This is what I was thinking. Not a problem with AOS as such. I guess you mean you're getting married with a civil ceremony but want to have a wedding with bells and whistles next year, then take his name. So you can only get one marriage license/certificate. Your "wedding" won't get one. So whatever name you apply for the marriage license under is what your name will be. You can keep a maiden name (I did) but our license application had something asking the name you would go by after marriage. I put my same name, not FIRSTNAME NICKSLASTNAME.

I was just thinking that the marriage certificate is a good legal name change document if you want to use his last name after the formal wedding. Otherwise you will apply and get a green card in your maiden name (yes?) and later if you want it in your married name you have to deal with USCIS (ugh) all over again. Not sure what kind of legal document they would require to show the name change since your marriage certificate is in your maiden name. You know how they are. I really don't know, but maybe somebody has experience or it's something you could research before you make your mind up. If you later want to renew your UK passport into the married name, do they need something legal showing the name change?

I wonder if you couldn't just get the marriage license in your eventual name, but continue to introduce yourself or get a bank account, etc in your maiden name until you're ready for a married name. Or maybe your marriage license and green card could be in the name Gemmie MAIDENNAME HISLASTNAME....taking the maiden name as your middle name. Lots of people do that.

Ok, I've rambled but was just thinking of all the extra work to change names next year after getting new documents in the maiden name. Maybe I'm just overly anti-name changing. That's the exact reason I didn't change my name to Nick's...too much trouble. But I've got a lifetime of identity in my name. As you might know, my husband died of cancer and it took me two years to finally get all the bills, house deed, bank accounts, stocks, etc. into my name. I had to provide a death certificate to the the gas company for crying out loud. I had to re-apply for a homestead exemption on the property tax rolls. Too many documents to fill out. I thought I might be dead before I got all the names changed again. Since you're starting a lifetime in a new country, it will be way easier for you whatever you work out.

Edited May 8, 2009 by Nich-Nick

[Gemmie 142]

You're right, I didn't think carefully about what it would entail. I was being quite naive in thinking that I could just file something at a city hall and change my surname after providing a marriage certificate (even if I had decided to keep my maiden name at the time), and everything would be fine.

So I have to choose whether to keep my maiden name or change it on the day of the civil ceremony/applying for the certificate... this is something I'm going to have to think about. I don't really want to use both names as it sounds clumsy.

Originally, I decided against the name-change because I felt a little resentful having to marry within 90 days; that gives me little room to plan and what with the family/friends not being able to make it so quickly (as we all know), we thought perhaps we could shut the government up by having a legal marriage and then having our "real marriage" next year; including a wedding, name-changes, and rings.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband, that must've been very difficult. I know that when my mother died, my dad struggled to do everything because all of the accounts were either under both of their names but he wasn't used to dealing with them at all - or because they were filed under her name (and he too had to provide death certificates to the companies to get them to stop harassing him for payments).

You're absolutely right to be cautious about all of the name-change documentation/processes, and I'm going to have to think on this one. Thanks.

Edited May 9, 2009 by Gemmie

[tinkerbelluk 0]

Gemmie, it may be also worth checking how your state will issue the certificate, for example the Florida one is a copy of the marriage licence with the certificate section filled out, however there is nowhere on the certificate which confirms whether a name change has been taken by either party.

[tinkerbelluk 0]

i would however advise filing in married name if you intend to take it up at anytime, as you will probably be double charged by USCIS if you change it later.

[Gemmie 142]

Agreed, thanks.

[Jason&Sarah 0]

just an update for all our british friends!

we were sent to CSC as of May 6th, 2009!

[Jason&Sarah 0]

Also, forgot to add, Sarah received her Social Security Card as of Thursday! Which is great, as we can now give it to her Doctor's office, and add her to the bank account!

[tinkerbelluk 0]

just an update for all our british friends!

we were sent to CSC as of May 6th, 2009!

congrats, on the transfer.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Congratulation Jason and Sarah. Small steps toward the final goal.

[chantpleure 0]

I'm from Hampshire in England, adjusting from an F-1 visa and been waiting for 130 days now..starting to feel a little dejected

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I'm from Hampshire in England.....

Cool, me too (Southampton). Where in Hampshire you from?

[chantpleure 0]

Basingstoke Used to spend a lot of my time in Soton when I was younger because there was a Forbidden Planet there and it was the coolest place I'd ever been to (I was 13 at the time though)

[Big Papa Zone 93]

Basingstoke Used to spend a lot of my time in Soton when I was younger because there was a Forbidden Planet there and it was the coolest place I'd ever been to (I was 13 at the time though)

Ah, Basingstoke (or "roundabout city" as I call it ). Popular commuter belt, but seriously, could it be any more dreary!!?? My family lived there for a year (1974) and my brother was actually born there.

[chantpleure 0]

haha! Yeah, a lot of the roundabouts had disappeared the last time I went there, I think the reputation of the town had annoyed the council enough to demolish most of them