Changing of last name

[LarryHickman 181]

Before everyone tells me what I should have done or how easier it would have been or cheaper I decided not to change my wife last name to mine until after green card because the USCIS already knows my wife by her birth name and that’s what in their system. If it worked for you to change your spouses last name on I-485 great I didn’t and on purpose. I know there are people on here that will say you should have put her new name on the I-485 but I didn’t and that’s that. 

 

My questions are:

 

1) now that we are waiting on green card should I wait to change her last name on her current social security card or make a new appointment with the social security Administration now and change her last name on social card? (Remember social security card name is birth name if gotten before wedding) Also wedding certificate recorded in Florida is both persons birth names not Mr. and Mrs. blah blah blah 

 

2) what will the process be to change my wife name on green card once she has it and cost? Yes I know it’s going to cost me more money my question is how much? 

 

Just curious of the process to do this after green card and cost. 

 

Thanks

 

 

[SB5130 88]

14 minutes ago, LarryHickman said:

Before everyone tells me what I should have done or how easier it would have been or cheaper I decided not to change my wife last name to mine until after green card because the USCIS already knows my wife by her birth name and that’s what in their system. If it worked for you to change your spouses last name on I-485 great I didn’t and on purpose. I know there are people on here that will say you should have put her new name on the I-485 but I didn’t and that’s that. 

 

My questions are:

 

1) now that we are waiting on green card should I wait to change her last name on her current social security card or make a new appointment with the social security Administration now and change her last name on social card? (Remember social security card name is birth name if gotten before wedding) Also wedding certificate recorded in Florida is both persons birth names not Mr. and Mrs. blah blah blah 

 

2) what will the process be to change my wife name on green card once she has it and cost? Yes I know it’s going to cost me more money my question is how much? 

 

Just curious of the process to do this after green card and cost. 

 

Thanks

 

 

For Question #2, you can wait for her to apply removal of conditions to change name. Or wait for N400 (Citizenship Application). 

However, if you opt to apply Green Card replacement to change name, You will need to file I-90. Cost $540.

Link: https://www.uscis.gov/i-90

E) My name or other information has been legally changed.

$455

$85

$540

Edited May 12, 2019 by SB5130

[LarryHickman 181]

13 minutes ago, SB5130 said:

For Question #2, you can wait for her to apply removal of conditions to change name. Or wait for N400 (Citizenship Application). 

However, if you opt to apply Green Card replacement to change name, You will need to file I-90. Cost $540.

Link: https://www.uscis.gov/i-90

E) My name or other information has been legally changed.

$455

$85

$540

Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for just answers not “well you should have done”.....:

 

ok so if we wait and change her name while doing ROC or N400 citizenship (these are two separate points which the name can be changed if I understand correctly and honestly I have done no research yet on either of these as we are in the green card stage) then I would not need to pay $540 for new green card but if I want to get her name changed right away after the gets the green card with her birth name I will need to pay $540 for another green card that will show her new name, is this correct? 

[K1visaHopeful 2,814]

What name is on her EAD?

The only way you can change her name on her SSN is if that's the name on her EAD. And her EAD name and SSN name will need to match to work.

 

 

 

[LarryHickman 181]

22 minutes ago, K1visaHopeful said:

What name is on her EAD?

The only way you can change her name on her SSN is if that's the name on her EAD. And her EAD name and SSN name will need to match to work.

 

 

 

Thank you for replying, her EAD name would be her birth name so are you saying I couldn’t change her name with the EAD? If that the case when could I change her name?

 

out of curiosity, what does the EAD have to do with the social security number changing a name? There was no EAD when we got her social security number a few days after she entered. 

 

So I guess the question is when could we change her name?

 

thanks 

Edited May 13, 2019 by LarryHickman

[LarryHickman 181]

would it be best to just leave the I-485 as is now that I submitted it or try to change her name now? Right or wrong I felt it better to leave her name as is while doing the process because I know we will be the ones with name issues come up so I made that call. 

[K1visaHopeful 2,814]

8 hours ago, LarryHickman said:

Thank you for replying, her EAD name would be her birth name so are you saying I couldn’t change her name with the EAD? If that the case when could I change her name? 

At her GC interview you could request it to be issued in her married name as per her legal name change document (the marriage certificate) or on the ROC or N400 application, again supported by a photocopy of the legal name change document (MC).

 

out of curiosity, what does the EAD have to do with the social security number changing a name?

SSA will only issue SSNs to immigrants who have a proof of lawful status (I94, EAD, GC). Her EAD will still have her maiden name. You can try but likely they will not change it because her name has not been changed with her file at DHS. And it would do you no good to change her SSN name as her EAD and SSN name must match.

 

There was no EAD when we got her social security number a few days after she entered. 

You presented valid proof of lawful status (the I94) in her maiden name.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2019 by K1visaHopeful

[Lemonslice 4,841]

44 minutes ago, LarryHickman said:

would it be best to just leave the I-485 as is now that I submitted it or try to change her name now? Right or wrong I felt it better to leave her name as is while doing the process because I know we will be the ones with name issues come up so I made that call. 

What do you mean? What kind of issues are you expecting?

[K1visaHopeful 2,814]

1 hour ago, LarryHickman said:

would it be best to just leave the I-485 as is now that I submitted it or try to change her name now? Right or wrong I felt it better to leave her name as is while doing the process because I know we will be the ones with name issues come up so I made that call. 

Why? All you need to do is wait for her Green Card interview and change it then. 

How do you think you will be able to change it before that? I'm not understanding....

[SB5130 88]

5 hours ago, LarryHickman said:

Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for just answers not “well you should have done”.....:

 

ok so if we wait and change her name while doing ROC or N400 citizenship (these are two separate points which the name can be changed if I understand correctly and honestly I have done no research yet on either of these as we are in the green card stage) then I would not need to pay $540 for new green card -- CORRECT

 

but if I want to get her name changed right away after the gets the green card with her birth name I will need to pay $540 for another green card that will show her new name, is this correct? -- CORRECT

That's right. If you wait for ROC or N400, you wont need to apply for I-90. 

 

Personally, I haven't change my name yet. I probably wait until my N400.

To me, my name is my identity. I am not yet ready to give it up.

Also, there's no requirement for women to always carry their husband's name. 

[LarryHickman 181]

5 hours ago, SB5130 said:

That's right. If you wait for ROC or N400, you wont need to apply for I-90. 

 

Personally, I haven't change my name yet. I probably wait until my N400.

To me, my name is my identity. I am not yet ready to give it up.

Also, there's no requirement for women to always carry their husband's name. 

Thanks for all the information.

6 hours ago, K1visaHopeful said:

Why? All you need to do is wait for her Green Card interview and change it then. 

How do you think you will be able to change it before that? I'm not understanding....

I think we will request the change at the interview, I appreciate all the help and time on this for me.

[Scandi 4,166]

We had several people in our AOS thread who made the same mistake as you and those who got an interview (not all K-1 got an AOS interview back then) requested a name change on spot. Better not wait for the actual greencard to be produced unless you want to pay several hundred bucks.

 

I had a name issue as well during my AOS journey. I sent a letter to NBC about it not knowing if my letter would reach my file or just be thrown away.

Surprisingly enough my letter was right there, on the IOs desk when I had my interview. He had already read my letter, he fixed the name issue there and then, handed me my approval letter and asked me to check that my name was spelled right (it wasn't, so he fixed that too). Very easy and simple. 

[LarryHickman 181]

1 hour ago, Scandi said:

We had several people in our AOS thread who made the same mistake as you and those who got an interview (not all K-1 got an AOS interview back then) requested a name change on spot. Better not wait for the actual greencard to be produced unless you want to pay several hundred bucks.

 

I had a name issue as well during my AOS journey. I sent a letter to NBC about it not knowing if my letter would reach my file or just be thrown away.

Surprisingly enough my letter was right there, on the IOs desk when I had my interview. He had already read my letter, he fixed the name issue there and then, handed me my approval letter and asked me to check that my name was spelled right (it wasn't, so he fixed that too). Very easy and simple. 

Thanks Scandi, I’m going to request at green card interview my wife’s name change. 

 

Just out curiosity, what letter exactly did you send to the NBC and how did you send it? If I’m able to change at green card interview if I sent a letter that would just be an extra precaution right?

 

[Scandi 4,166]

48 minutes ago, LarryHickman said:

Thanks Scandi, I’m going to request at green card interview my wife’s name change. 

 

Just out curiosity, what letter exactly did you send to the NBC and how did you send it? If I’m able to change at green card interview if I sent a letter that would just be an extra precaution right?

 

I sent a letter requesting the name issue to be solved simply because I came to the US on a K-1 visa and back then far from all K-1 AOSers got an interview. Had I not gotten an interview then maybe my letter would've helped, who knows. I wanted to give it a try at least.

[Mollie09 1,543]

19 hours ago, LarryHickman said:

Before everyone tells me what I should have done or how easier it would have been or cheaper I decided not to change my wife last name to mine until after green card because the USCIS already knows my wife by her birth name and that’s what in their system. If it worked for you to change your spouses last name on I-485 great I didn’t and on purpose. I know there are people on here that will say you should have put her new name on the I-485 but I didn’t and that’s that. 

 

My questions are:

 

1) now that we are waiting on green card should I wait to change her last name on her current social security card or make a new appointment with the social security Administration now and change her last name on social card? (Remember social security card name is birth name if gotten before wedding) Also wedding certificate recorded in Florida is both persons birth names not Mr. and Mrs. blah blah blah 

 

2) what will the process be to change my wife name on green card once she has it and cost? Yes I know it’s going to cost me more money my question is how much? 

 

Just curious of the process to do this after green card and cost. 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

You can change her name on the SSN and driver's license, etc. immediately using your marriage certificate as proof of name change, even if it only lists your birth names.

For the immigration documents, I would wait until your next application - in this case, ROC - and file with the married name.

 

Good luck!