Name Change

[Zsl86 0]

Hello! I have filed for AOS and am waiting for my green card with my husband's last name. I was not aware at the time that I could choose another last name (Husband's first name is how we do it in Pakistan) as I thought it had to be done in the American way. My Social Security is in my Husbands last name but I would like to change it. I still have not received my Green Card but hope that it will be arriving in the next few weeks. I would like to have my name changed by mid June. What is the best way to do that?

[Amhara 460]

You should check with your local ordinances about changing names during marriage. My husband has one name, so I figured that we could change his name during our marriage. It turns out, we could only change his LAST name, which is actually his first/only name. We wanted his TX DL to have his only name moved to his first name and my last name given as his new last name. We submitted the AOS paperwork this way and later had to change it back to the "First Name Unavailable" and we are hoping to complete his legal name change through the county this week. (Long story...)

Normally, one of the spouses can only change their last name during marriage to the other spouse's last name or hyphenate their current last name with their spouse's last name - not choose a new last or first name, as you appear to be suggesting. Make sure you can first to avoid any administrative headaches.

[Cathi 5,784]

Hello! I have filed for AOS and am waiting for my green card with my husband's last name. I was not aware at the time that I could choose another last name (Husband's first name is how we do it in Pakistan) as I thought it had to be done in the American way. My Social Security is in my Husbands last name but I would like to change it. I still have not received my Green Card but hope that it will be arriving in the next few weeks. I would like to have my name changed by mid June. What is the best way to do that?

You can;t change your name just because you want to. You have 2 choices, keep your last name, or change it to your husband's LEGAL last name.

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

If your state will allow the name change you want through marriage, then you will use your marriage certificate to change your name, unless you live where you list the name you choose to have after marriage and you already listed your current name.

You can always file for a name change to get a court ordered name change. You then use that court order to change your name on everything. It will cost you $450 to change the green card.You can always wait until it is time to file for ROC, and then use your new legal name change to get the 10 year card instead of paying extra and waiting months to change it on the 2 year card.

[Amhara 460]

You can;t change your name just because you want to. You have 2 choices, keep your last name, or change it to your husband's LEGAL last name.

Pretty much.

If you would like to change your name outside of your family/surname or your husband's family/surname, then you can file a name change petition for an adult with your county court. Ours would have been pretty easy. I filed the paperwork online through the courts and we would have been completely done in 59 days IF the state employee who ran the fingerprint/background/criminal history check didn't run his reports IN THE WRONG NAME! They ran it as my last name and his surname! (Yeah, Americans don't jive with the FNU...) The judge withheld a decision until we could get corrected reports. Well, since the state made the mistake, we asked them to correct it and re-run the reports under his current legal name (not a name they pieced together...) We waited patiently for three weeks as we got the "I am waiting for my supervisor to tell me" spiel. We then did the fingerprint card AGAIN! Now, the name change should be ready to complete tomorrow.

If that mistake wouldn't have been done, we had set up an InfoPass scheduled for the next week to show the name change order. We could have gotten all his documents in his new name and could have had his EAD/AP approved by February 19th. But that's all spilled milk now.

If you end up changing your name AFTER the GC is issued, you can file a Form I-90, pay $450, wait 6+ months for the new GC to be issued. Changing your name is relatively easy, but check with your local procedures first. You might be able to beat the GC seeing how there is no timeline for the GC to be issued. Just make an InfoPass soon after the order is executed and/or mail in a copy to the NOA area (probably NBC) so your file can be updated.

[Zsl86 0]

Thank you so much guys for all your help, really appreciate the input.

Amhara, if I understood you correctly, it is possible for me to change my name at this point as I wait for my Green Card to arrive. Could you give me some more information regarding this and what forms etc I should be filling out? Do you think this will delay my Green Card to be issued?

Thank you so much.

[Amhara 460]

It shouldn't delay your GC issuance. Sometimes GC's get issued fast and some painfully slow. Just like KDC suggested, you can get your name legally changed now, and if the GC comes before you are done, just wait for ROC to get the GC in your new name. I haven't come across anything that says my husband is required to change his GC, although that would be ideal. Everything I have come across has said we can use the name change court order, so I am going off that.

Changing your name is very specific to your area. Which city, county and state do you live in?

[Zsl86 0]

Thanks Amhara, yeah my GC is taking way too long. I live in Algonquin (northwest suburbs of Chicago).

So what should I be doing right now as the first step? (Sorry that I am so clueless about this but you are the first person so far who seems to know what I have been trying to figure out for months now)

If you could send me the website or forms that I should be filling out, that would SO great!

Thank you once again.

[Amhara 460]

Try this site:

http://www.cookcountycourt.org/ABOUTTHECOURT/CountyDepartment/CountyDivision/ChangeofNameProceedings.aspx

The people at the court can't give you legal advice, but they can tell you what you need and what the next steps are.

[Zsl86 0]

Thank you so much! I will check out the website. I spoke to someone today regarding my Green Card and wanting to change my name while it is still being processed. She suggested I write a letter explaining why I want to and show some proof of it and mail it to them at the National Benefits Center. I hope to go to Social Security tomorrow and start from there in trying to get it changed. I spoke to someone at their office and they would look into it after I explained that in Pakistani culture the wife takes her husband's first name as surname. Let's see what the officer says tomorrow but I feel like I've made a lot of progress!

Thanks for all your help.