USCIS Combined First and Middle Name as First Name

[SleepingRobot 0]

Hello,

First off -- this website has been an incredible resource, and a I wanted to give a huge thank you to the community here.

My wife is a Canadian here on a CR-1 Visa (just entered the country as Perm. Resident on Jan 24th!), and I'm her US Petitioner.

I'm hoping someone out there may be able to help us out with a small issue we've just encountered.

We had not received my wife's SSN or Green Card in the mail after 6 weeks like we were told to expect.

We decided to schedule an appointment with the local SSA office to kick things off manually, since I'd read here on VisaJourney that sometimes the SSN never comes in the mail despite checking the box on the application.

The guy we got at SSA informed us that he had some trouble finding her in the system because USCIS combined her middle name into her first name and left her middle name blank.

I.E., instead of First(Jane) Middle(Doe) Last(Smith), they entered it as First(Jane Doe) Middle() Last(Smith)

He was still able to issue a SSN for her (which we did just receive about a week later), but said we can choose to either "keep" her name as is and fill it out the way USCIS has it on all important documents (loans, taxes, etc), or that we could go to USCIS to have it corrected.

We decided we wanted to have it corrected (I'm thinking most people would?), so scheduled an appointment with USCIS through InfoPass.

The guy we got at USCIS then told us that they can't correct her name unless she can provide a Canadian Government document that clearly states First and Middle to show which is which.

After looking at all of her documents (Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Passport, ID Card) we were surprised to see that, indeed, ALL of them just say "Given Names:" instead of separately listing First and Middle.

My questions are:

1) Does Canada (Nova Scotia in particular) provide any government documents that have the middle name clearly listed that we might be overlooking?

2) Could there be any "gotchas" with keeping her name listed incorrectly if not?

3) Do we have any other options? Maybe going to a court to change her name in the U.S. to what it's supposed to be and showing that to USCIS, or something?

Any insight that anyone can provide here would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!!

[NikLR 13,227]

You need fo fix her SAVE datatbase which you can do at the closest CBP office.

It's impossible to tell on the green card what is a middle name or not as it only has spots for given and last names (just like everything in Canada.) The only time this became an issue for me was for my driver's license. I had to fix my name in the SAVE db. In Colorado that meant going to the department of revenue office on a particular day. The DMV in your state may have an idea aboit that as well if a CBP office is too far. It's just the translation between software from thr CBP to the USCIS. No one enters it wrong, the software isn't completely compatible. Annoying as heck though.

[duvalin 3]

Hi NLR, I am so glad I found this thread! I am in the same situation, I wrote a little about my experience over at waiting for passport from Montreal thread, about my POE experience and all.

I tried to go to my POE and they told me, they don't do that there. I am wondering if I can try going to the department of revenue here in Michigan, and if I do, do I just walk in and explain? and, now I am wondering whether I pay for my immigration fee, since my GC will have the same issue? Thank you in advance!

[NikLR 13,227]

I wouldn't have been able to fix it in that manner without trying for a driver's license. My SSN and green card show both my middle and first name in the same manner, as given names but they are not combined together as some people have had (firstmiddle)

So I'm unsure how the DMV in Michigan chooses to fix the SAVE db.

For anyone wondering, this is the program that is being referred to http://www.uscis.gov/save

I suggest contacting them on how to fix issues therein. http://www.uscis.gov/save/contact-save

Edited August 9, 2015 by NLR

[DellysArcila 0]

it is weird, but for the USA the second name and first name is a given name (for foreigners), just when you change your name in the USA is when you actually have a middle name.

for example, I have two names and two last names (I'm from Latin America and we have our father and mother last name), my maiden name in ALL my official documents just say given names and never specific a middle name,  as my passport is the same, all my legal documents in the USA were issued the same way (Sevis, I94), so for legal purposes my given name is my two names, BUT I decided to change my last name for my husband last name, and my maiden last name as a middle name (I get rid of my "real" middle name), I fill it out the forms with my new name, so NOW I have a middle name and I have to do all the process of changing my name.

so I think after all the process of your wife is done, she can change her name and try to "fix it". 

hope I was enough clear. 

I get this information from my friends' lawyer. 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by DellysArcila

[Going through 5,671]

This thread is 4 years old...presumably the OP has fixed the issue by now.