Some questions about the Green Card.

[spectheintro 18]

Ok, so my wife's visa finally got approved and I'll be flying to pick her up and bring her back in a week. However, her passport is not her in her married name, it's in her maiden name, so when she comes here her green card will be issued in her maiden name as well. My question is, can I change this? I would MUCH prefer to get her green card issued in her married name. Can anyone point me to the resources that could tell me how to go about doing this?

On a related note: do I need to obtain a US marriage certificate? Or is the translation of my Iranian one enough? I don't know what paperwork is considered necessary for this.

Edited February 7, 2010 by spectheintro

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Ok, so my wife's visa finally got approved and I'll be flying to pick her up and bring her back in a week. However, her passport is not her in her married name, it's in her maiden name, so when she comes here her green card will be issued in her maiden name as well. My question is, can I change this? I would MUCH prefer to get her green card issued in her married name. Can anyone point me to the resources that could tell me how to go about doing this?

On a related note: do I need to obtain a US marriage certificate? Or is the translation of my Iranian one enough? I don't know what paperwork is considered necessary for this.

When you completed the paperwork, to have the card in her married name you would have needed to write her married name on the forms. If you didn't do this (the name in her passport would have been irrelevant, the marriage licence would be her "proof of name change" document) then you will need to apply for a replacement once you receive it.

Here's the form: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD it will cost you $290. That's the only way i know of. Sorry

Remember she will also receive her SSN in her married name so once you replace the greencard, you can then go and replace the SSN.

Goodl uck.

[spectheintro 18]

When you completed the paperwork, to have the card in her married name you would have needed to write her married name on the forms. If you didn't do this (the name in her passport would have been irrelevant, the marriage licence would be her "proof of name change" document) then you will need to apply for a replacement once you receive it.

Here's the form: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD it will cost you $290. That's the only way i know of. Sorry

Remember she will also receive her SSN in her married name so once you replace the greencard, you can then go and replace the SSN.

Goodl uck.

Thanks for the response. I did fill out the forms with her married name, and included her maiden name when asked. (As her "other names.") I was told that because her maiden name was in her passport, even though I filled out her forms with her married name, that the maiden name would be the one used for the greencard. (I applied for a CR-1 visa.) Is this not the case?

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Thanks for the response. I did fill out the forms with her married name, and included her maiden name when asked. (As her "other names.") I was told that because her maiden name was in her passport, even though I filled out her forms with her married name, that the maiden name would be the one used for the greencard. (I applied for a CR-1 visa.) Is this not the case?

Someone who did CR-1 will need to confirm but no, this should NOT be the case. A lot of people like to wait to change their passport because of validity (and wasting years they may have left), or because they want to file ASAP after marriage and don't want to risk not having their passport for the interview.

So for that reason, and because all of her file is in her married name, it should arrive in her married name. Remind her to carry her marriage licence with her (or a copy of it) for proof of ID and that will explain why her passport is in another name. It should be more than fine.

Good luck

[canadian_wife 1,822]

The green card will be issued in the name that is in the passport, not the name on the forms. When she submitted her passport at the end of the interview, the visa will be issued in the name in the passport and the green card will be issued in the name on the visa.

Try asking at the POE to have the green card issued in the married name, otherwise fill out the forms in the link that Vanessa&Tony supplied

Good luck

[spectheintro 18]

The green card will be issued in the name that is in the passport, not the name on the forms. When she submitted her passport at the end of the interview, the visa will be issued in the name in the passport and the green card will be issued in the name on the visa.

Try asking at the POE to have the green card issued in the married name, otherwise fill out the forms in the link that Vanessa&Tony supplied

Good luck

Thank you both so much for all of your help. I'll make sure to bring it up at the POE; it would be a huge relief to get her SSN and her greencard issued in her married name, so I don't need to fork out additional cash just because I didn't want to void my wife's passport.