Changing Name Timing...

[T & A 5]

I've seen lots of questions similar to mine, but not quite the same. From what I've read, the name that is on the DS-260 is the name that will be on the green card when it arrives. I should be getting my NVC case # soon and am trying to decide what to do on the DS-260 when I get it. So here is the situation:

My wife currently has her passport and ID in her maiden name. She can get her passport in the married name before the interview, but not before I submit the DS-260 and IV package. If I put the married name on the DS-260, but submit a copy of the biographic page of her current passport will that kick back an RFE for the passport in the married name? I feel like this situation should come up so often that it would make sense to be more lenient on it, but government agencies are never known for their leniency...

My options are:

1) Submit IV passport copy, DS-260 and passport at interview/PoE all in maiden name and change name when she gets here (which I feel would be a pain given how hard it is to get a new social security card)

2) Submit IV passport copy in maiden name, but DS-260 and passport at interview/PoE in married name.

What do you guys think?

[calengineer 4]

That is a very good question. What we ended up doing is that my wife residency was with her maiden name. Then, when she became a US citizen, it was a piece of cake changing her last name to mine. I found this to be the easiest.

[Shauneg 762]

That is a very good question. What we ended up doing is that my wife residency was with her maiden name. Then, when she became a US citizen, it was a piece of cake changing her last name to mine. I found this to be the easiest.

At this point in the process this is a good idea in my opinion. Or at least wait until she immigrates and is the states.

[mallafri76 1,012]

Can't really tell you which of your two options would be easiest, since I changed my name straight after I got married to my husband and got my new passport within two weeks of changing my name. How long does it take to get a new passport in the Philippines? If you haven't even gotten your NVC case number yet, you probably have at least two months till your wife needs to fill out her DS-260. She can't get a new passport within that time?

I don't think option two is a good idea, because if NVC does their job right (not sure how often that happens) they should match the copy of the passport with the DS-260 and if the names don't match on the two documents, they should give you a checklist, in my opinion. So I would either change her name now and get the new passport or stick to the maiden name and do the changes once in the US.

[Shauneg 762]

I've seen lots of questions similar to mine, but not quite the same. From what I've read, the name that is on the DS-260 is the name that will be on the green card when it arrives. I should be getting my NVC case # soon and am trying to decide what to do on the DS-260 when I get it. So here is the situation:

My wife currently has her passport and ID in her maiden name. She can get her passport in the married name before the interview, but not before I submit the DS-260 and IV package. If I put the married name on the DS-260, but submit a copy of the biographic page of her current passport will that kick back an RFE for the passport in the married name? I feel like this situation should come up so often that it would make sense to be more lenient on it, but government agencies are never known for their leniency...

My options are:

1) Submit IV passport copy, DS-260 and passport at interview/PoE all in maiden name and change name when she gets here (which I feel would be a pain given how hard it is to get a new social security card)

2) Submit IV passport copy in maiden name, but DS-260 and passport at interview/PoE in married name.

What do you guys think?

option one...green card in married name isn't too hard just submit the marriage cert with it, should be enough.

[pushbrk 12,882]

option one...green card in married name isn't too hard just submit the marriage cert with it, should be enough.

Easy enough, but there's a form and hefty fee to consider.

[Shauneg 762]

Easy enough, but there's a form and hefty fee to consider.

450 but at least it's easier than having to juggle between two names during immigration. There's really no wrong way for the op. I just would go route one, but again, that's me....each their own.