GETTING THE NAMES STRAIGHT?!

[FD&MDVL 58]

Well it has been just over a year since my wife finally arrived, my stepdaughters case took another 8 months to finish not to mention ANOTHER trip to get things fixed.

Although we are all here I am thinking of the next step(s) Naturalization. My wife is attending English classes twice a week through the public school system and they also offer naturalization instruction as well. We are not there yet it will be another two years before she qualifies.

My concerns are with the names and if we didn't get things squared up. let me explain.

We are a family of four. I will use fictitious names to explain-

My name is Michael Door

My wife's name is Angela Lopez Rodrigues Caballo ( RODRIGUES BEING HER FATHERS NAME AND CABALLO BEING HER MOTHERS NAME)

She had a daughter and her daughter listed the father as Carlos Benitez so my stepdaughters name is listed as

Sharon Benitez LOPEZ RODRIGUES Benitez coming from her listed father, and LOPEZ RODRIGUES coming from her mothers name

we also have a second daughter of whom I am the biological father and her name is Latoya DOOR RODRIGUES ( Door being fathers name and Rodrigues being mothers name)

well.... you can see that this is all screwed up what we would like to do is get all the names straight and Americanized at this time but before we apply for naturalization for my wife -

My wife and stepdaughter both have their green cards - my youngest daughter is already a Citizen of the USA, like me.

we would like to be known as

Michael Door

Angela Rodrigues Door

Sharon Rodrigues Door

Latoya Rodrigues Door

I just don't know HOW to do that- we were married in Honduras - 7 years ago, we never changed their passports - all through the immigration process the paperwork was processed as their passports read so the green cards were issued as the names indicated on the passports. I have NOT adopted my step daughter - I looked into that and it seemed even MORE complicated than the immigration process - from what I understand once her mom becomes a US citizen she as a minor child will automatically become a USA Citizen.

can anyone shine any light on this subject please- and if you want to take it off line I can be contacted at frankdotdirrATgmaildotcom

thank you

[aleful 1,905]

hi

if you filed the i130 for your wife, she could have gotten your last name, on the GC, put her married name to go on the GC

so unless she goes to court to change her name, she will have to wait until she applies for citizenship

and for your stepchildren, you have to adopt them for them to carry your name, they have a father and their last names are those of their parents

[oohpartiv 484]

I believe you'd just have to go through the normal court process to get the names changed, like you would for any other circumstance. It's a relatively simple process, and if you contact your local courthouse they should be able to walk you through the process.