Two AOS questions - please help

[Will_and_Tu 46]

56 minutes ago, Diane and Chris said:

Very good information here. However, TDAP is not chicken pox. It is tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Varicella is the chicken pox vaccine. 😁

Yes, you're right--sorry. In our case it was varicella, and I typed without thinking.

[Bryan and An 23]

To update - we first went to the SSA building today, as suggested, and applied for her SSN using the (incorrect) name order that's on her visa. No problems there, and they said after the "7 day suppression" (whatever that is) she should have her SS card in a couple of weeks. We then went to the county clerk's office for the marriage license. I asked if it would be possible to change the name order on the marriage certificate, and they said no - it has to be exactly as it is on the passport (Middle Middle First, just like the visa). In fact, they said we couldn't even change her last name to mine yet - that after the wedding, her maiden name will still be on the marriage certificate, and we'll have to take that to the SSA where they can change her surname. She said she had no idea how we would go about changing the first/middle name order. So unless anyone has any insight into that, I guess we're just going to submit the I-485 with her name out of order, and not worry about it for now. She said it's not really a big deal to her. Maybe we'll worry about it down the road, but for now, it seems easiest just to take the path of least resistance and try to keep everything flowing smoothly. Obviously, any other insights or suggestions are welcome

 

Back to the DS-3025 - should I just send that in with the I-485, since it says "US vaccination requirements complete"? Someone said that they thought their DS-3025 was sent in by the CBP officer with everything else, but I didn't see one in that packet of stuff. This one was in a separate envelope from the hospital along with the "Chest X-Ray" envelope that the officer said he didn't need to see. Would it hurt to just make a copy of this and send it with the I-485?

[Cryssiekins 976]

9 minutes ago, Bryan and An said:

To update - we first went to the SSA building today, as suggested, and applied for her SSN using the (incorrect) name order that's on her visa. No problems there, and they said after the "7 day suppression" (whatever that is) she should have her SS card in a couple of weeks. We then went to the county clerk's office for the marriage license. I asked if it would be possible to change the name order on the marriage certificate, and they said no - it has to be exactly as it is on the passport (Middle Middle First, just like the visa). In fact, they said we couldn't even change her last name to mine yet - that after the wedding, her maiden name will still be on the marriage certificate, and we'll have to take that to the SSA where they can change her surname. She said she had no idea how we would go about changing the first/middle name order. So unless anyone has any insight into that, I guess we're just going to submit the I-485 with her name out of order, and not worry about it for now. She said it's not really a big deal to her. Maybe we'll worry about it down the road, but for now, it seems easiest just to take the path of least resistance and try to keep everything flowing smoothly. Obviously, any other insights or suggestions are welcome

 

Back to the DS-3025 - should I just send that in with the I-485, since it says "US vaccination requirements complete"? Someone said that they thought their DS-3025 was sent in by the CBP officer with everything else, but I didn't see one in that packet of stuff. This one was in a separate envelope from the hospital along with the "Chest X-Ray" envelope that the officer said he didn't need to see. Would it hurt to just make a copy of this and send it with the I-485?

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you wrote, but once the marriage license is filed after marriage, the certificate is the legal name change.  You then just have to use that certificate to change the name on everything else.  

(My two cents: if I had known what a pain in the ### it would be with literally everything, I would have just left my name as it was before marriage.  I mean taking your husbands surname isn't a new thing - I don't know why processes aren't smoother for this.  Even non-immigrants have an issue with this)

 

Changing the order will likely be some other kind of battle for you guys.  If she's okay with leaving it backwards for a while, I would worry about it down the road.  Besides she can just go by her preferred name in the things that will matter (your family, future employer etc). A name is just a legal identifier, the people she interacts with can call her what she feels comfortable with. 

 

If if you have the ds3025, it wouldn't hurt to send it in as long as it is marked "complete", though read the instructions (not sure if they changed since I file) if it's not a required necessity, leave it out. 

 

9 years in legal offices has taught me you provide only exactly what is asked for - nothing more and nothing less :-)

 

I hope your special day is amazing!  I really get so excited and happy for everyone on VJ when they finally make it through the various USCIS hurdles!

[Bryan and An 23]

23 minutes ago, Cryssiekins said:

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you wrote, but once the marriage license is filed after marriage, the certificate is the legal name change.  You then just have to use that certificate to change the name on everything else.  

(My two cents: if I had known what a pain in the ### it would be with literally everything, I would have just left my name as it was before marriage.  I mean taking your husbands surname isn't a new thing - I don't know why processes aren't smoother for this.  Even non-immigrants have an issue with this)

Thanks for everything! For the marriage certificate - maybe it varies by state, but what the clerk told me is that the certificate itself will still have her maiden name on it. She said then we can change her last name AFTER we have the marriage certificate by taking it to the SSA, and since it shows that she married me, they will then be able to change her last name. Seemed odd to me, but that's what she said; I even asked again to be sure I had heard correctly. 

[Cryssiekins 976]

27 minutes ago, Bryan and An said:

Thanks for everything! For the marriage certificate - maybe it varies by state, but what the clerk told me is that the certificate itself will still have her maiden name on it. She said then we can change her last name AFTER we have the marriage certificate by taking it to the SSA, and since it shows that she married me, they will then be able to change her last name. Seemed odd to me, but that's what she said; I even asked again to be sure I had heard correctly. 

I just looked at my marriage certificate and it DOES have my maiden name but it also shows that as of the date of marriage, it was changed to my husbands surname.  

 

Likely similar in IL.  Part of it has to show that she's electing to take your surname afterwards. 

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

1 hour ago, Cryssiekins said:

I just looked at my marriage certificate and it DOES have my maiden name but it also shows that as of the date of marriage, it was changed to my husbands surname.  

 

Likely similar in IL.  Part of it has to show that she's electing to take your surname afterwards. 

This is different from state to state. Mine just has the Maiden name and no notation that I'm choosing his name. That is simply up to me to start using. Sounds like it is the same in OP's state. The marriage certificate shows you are married and then it is up to the spouse to use the name they wish, showing their right to the name by providing evidence of marriage to the person carrying the name.

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

For the DS-3025, send along a photocopy. The idea is to send a "gentle reminder" that the vaccination requirements have been met. Yes the original is in the sealed packet given at POE and this should be connected to your A-file. Sometimes this isn't done in time or at all, and the DS-3025 you send along with your application would then show the IO that it exists and would/could prompt them to look for it as opposed to sending the applicant an RFE for missing vacc. req.

[doreenmattseattle 9]

10 hours ago, Suss&Camm said:

For the DS-3025, send along a photocopy. The idea is to send a "gentle reminder" that the vaccination requirements have been met. Yes the original is in the sealed packet given at POE and this should be connected to your A-file. Sometimes this isn't done in time or at all, and the DS-3025 you send along with your application would then show the IO that it exists and would/could prompt them to look for it as opposed to sending the applicant an RFE for missing vacc. req.

The doctor didn't provide a copy and my wife didn't request one. Obviously everything was sealed. Hope they don't ask because your are here and applying to,change status so you've fulfilled the requirements in,my view. Immigration took the packet and logically its sent and filed for future use in,this process. Totally walking blind through this. I explicitly followed the steps in instructions and this form was,not mentioned anywhere.

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

2 hours ago, doreenmattseattle said:

The doctor didn't provide a copy and my wife didn't request one. Obviously everything was sealed. Hope they don't ask because your are here and applying to,change status so you've fulfilled the requirements in,my view. Immigration took the packet and logically its sent and filed for future use in,this process. Totally walking blind through this. I explicitly followed the steps in instructions and this form was,not mentioned anywhere.

Technically you aren't required to fulfill the vaccination requirements to get the K1 visa - so you can't automatically draw the conclusion that since they are here they have. 

That said, most likely it won't be a problem. The K1 visa applicant is supposed to get a copy though. It even says on it. Perhaps you can contact the overseas doc office and ask them to email a copy? - if it worries you 

[doreenmattseattle 9]

16 minutes ago, Suss&Camm said:

Technically you aren't required to fulfill the vaccination requirements to get the K1 visa - so you can't automatically draw the conclusion that since they are here they have. 

That said, most likely it won't be a problem. The K1 visa applicant is supposed to get a copy though. It even says on it. Perhaps you can contact the overseas doc office and ask them to email a copy? - if it worries you 

We are doing that pre-emptively because we always want to assume worst case scenarios in this process it seems. Better to have contingencies in place.  Just one of those unfortunate and annoying lessons that appear.  Keeping my optimism but grounded in reality.

[Diane and Chris 651]

This is the bottom portion of the marriage license application form for Georgia. It asks what your name will be after the marriage. Then after you are married, you take the license to the county clerk and they issue you the marriage certificate with your new name on it. If all states were this easy!  

[Will_and_Tu 46]

17 hours ago, Bryan and An said:

To update - we first went to the SSA building today, as suggested, and applied for her SSN using the (incorrect) name order that's on her visa. No problems there, and they said after the "7 day suppression" (whatever that is) she should have her SS card in a couple of weeks. We then went to the county clerk's office for the marriage license. I asked if it would be possible to change the name order on the marriage certificate, and they said no - it has to be exactly as it is on the passport (Middle Middle First, just like the visa). In fact, they said we couldn't even change her last name to mine yet - that after the wedding, her maiden name will still be on the marriage certificate, and we'll have to take that to the SSA where they can change her surname. She said she had no idea how we would go about changing the first/middle name order. So unless anyone has any insight into that, I guess we're just going to submit the I-485 with her name out of order, and not worry about it for now. She said it's not really a big deal to her. Maybe we'll worry about it down the road, but for now, it seems easiest just to take the path of least resistance and try to keep everything flowing smoothly. Obviously, any other insights or suggestions are welcome

 

Back to the DS-3025 - should I just send that in with the I-485, since it says "US vaccination requirements complete"? Someone said that they thought their DS-3025 was sent in by the CBP officer with everything else, but I didn't see one in that packet of stuff. This one was in a separate envelope from the hospital along with the "Chest X-Ray" envelope that the officer said he didn't need to see. Would it hurt to just make a copy of this and send it with the I-485?

The certificate usually has her maiden name on it. You then use the certificate to justify the name change with the SSA and with USCIS. The first place you will probably enter her "new" name is on the AOS application. As for the name options now, the place to fight it was at the county clerk's office. They insist the name has to be the same as the passport, but with persistence, you might have been able to find someone to listen about the ordering of the name. You can still list it the way you want on the AOS application, and if you get the GC with the name listed the way you want, you can then use that as support to get the SS card changed. Once she has the GC in hand, that plays a primary role in establishing what her name will be in the U.S.

 

We photocopied the DS3025 and sent it in as it is; you have to either submit a valid, complete DS3025 or a 693. You don't need to send the chest x-ray.

[Suss&Camm 2,213]

2 hours ago, Will_and_Tu said:

The certificate usually has her maiden name on it. You then use the certificate to justify the name change with the SSA and with USCIS. The first place you will probably enter her "new" name is on the AOS application. As for the name options now, the place to fight it was at the county clerk's office. They insist the name has to be the same as the passport, but with persistence, you might have been able to find someone to listen about the ordering of the name. You can still list it the way you want on the AOS application, and if you get the GC with the name listed the way you want, you can then use that as support to get the SS card changed. Once she has the GC in hand, that plays a primary role in establishing what her name will be in the U.S.

 

We photocopied the DS3025 and sent it in as it is; you have to either submit a valid, complete DS3025 or a 693. You don't need to send the chest x-ray.

If the marriage license in their state only has maiden name -as seems to be the case- then what the county clerk says doesn't matter. They will establish the applicants new name,  as you mentioned,  by the green card. 

 

Not "have to". The DS-3025, isn't technically needed if it is already in the sealed package turned in at POE - as it should be (ofc if there would have been a problem, you won't know without a copy).

[Bryan and An 23]

15 hours ago, Will_and_Tu said:

The certificate usually has her maiden name on it. You then use the certificate to justify the name change with the SSA and with USCIS. The first place you will probably enter her "new" name is on the AOS application. As for the name options now, the place to fight it was at the county clerk's office. They insist the name has to be the same as the passport, but with persistence, you might have been able to find someone to listen about the ordering of the name. You can still list it the way you want on the AOS application, and if you get the GC with the name listed the way you want, you can then use that as support to get the SS card changed. Once she has the GC in hand, that plays a primary role in establishing what her name will be in the U.S.

 

We photocopied the DS3025 and sent it in as it is; you have to either submit a valid, complete DS3025 or a 693. You don't need to send the chest x-ray.

 

Thanks Will - this is extremely helpful. So just to be sure I understand, you're saying that even though her marriage certificate will show her maiden name, AND her marriage cert. and SS card will show her first and middle names out of order, we can correct both of these things on the AOS application and it won't cause any problems with the names not matching what USCIS has on record?

 

Also, just to clarify, are you saying you photocopied the DS-3025 and then sent in the photocopy, or sent the original and kept the photocopy? The one we have appears to be an "original," in that it appears to have a "wet" signature from the panel physician, so I just wondered if it mattered if we just sent in a copy. It also makes me wonder if there was one in the sealed packet (well, that and the fact that I didn't see one as the CBP officer was looking through the packet, although I could have missed it). 

[Will_and_Tu 46]

USCIS is more likely to understand the Asian conventions of ordering names. Even though Tu's name is also in reverse order on her passport, and even though they screwed it up on the I-94, we submitted it the way we wanted it written on American documents when we sent in the 485. The marriage certificate doesn't establish her identity--just your relationship, and the SS card isn't a part of the AOS packet. So the GC will reflect how you enter her name on the 485, and you can then use it to correct other documents, as needed. In our case, it was personally important to her that we get it right on the marriage certificate, which is why I pressed the case at the county clerk's office.

 

Unnecessary confusion caused on my part--we didn't send in any original documents, only photocopies. As others have said, USCIS should already have a copy of the DS3025, so the one you have is supposed to be your original copy. Some folks here are saying you don't need to submit it, but in the fiance(e) instructions about the 693, it states "If you are a K-1 fiance(e) or K-2 dependent who had a medical examination within the past year as required for the nonimmigrant fiance(e) visa, you only need to submit a vaccination supplement, not the entire medical report. You may include the vaccination supplement with your Form I-485." I read that as you being required to submit a copy of the DS3025 with your packet, regardless of whether or not USCIS already has it. As you know, the scrutiny on Vietnam fiancees is intense, so I would play it safe.