Name Change on Passport Between I-130 and Interview

[saksnoot 31]

I filed an I-130 for my wife shortly after we got married. She intends to take my last name now that we’re married, but because all of her documents at the time stated her maiden name, we used this for her name on all forms for the I-130 filing. We included her married name in the other names used section of the forms, though.

 

Now it appears that by the time she has her medical and interview, her current passport won’t be valid for long enough to meet the requirements for visa issuance. So we need to renew her passport.

 

The ultimate goal is that we get her passport and green card in her married name. Should we ask for a name change when we apply for the passport renewal? Will it cause issue with anything further down the line?

 

I know she’ll need her passport for her medical. I assume that she’ll need to carry her marriage certificate with her to that to prove the name change, in case the appointment is in her maiden name.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

2 hours ago, saksnoot said:

The ultimate goal is that we get her passport and green card in her married name. Should we ask for a name change when we apply for the passport renewal?

Yes renew in the married name.

 

 At the interview they will make the file adjustment to issue the visa in the passport name (married name). Then the greencard will be in the married name. Take both passports if there is another visa in the old passport that might need cancelling (like a tourist visa). There’s plenty before her who had a new passport from the one they started the petition with.

[saksnoot 31]

55 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

Yes renew in the married name.

 

 At the interview they will make the file adjustment to issue the visa in the passport name (married name). Then the greencard will be in the married name. Take both passports if there is another visa in the old passport that might need cancelling (like a tourist visa). There’s plenty before her who had a new passport from the one they started the petition with.

Should we then be filling out DS-260 and I-864 using her married name? Of course we’ll include her maiden name for other names used, in that case. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

3 hours ago, saksnoot said:

Should we then be filling out DS-260 and I-864 using her married name? Of course we’ll include her maiden name for other names used, in that case. 

Have you already done a DS-260? If so you don’t do a new one for a name,change. It says that in the London website. 

[saksnoot 31]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:06 PM, Wuozopo said:

Have you already done a DS-260? If so you don’t do a new one for a name,change. It says that in the London website. 

Haven’t done DS-260 yet. Based on the website, seems like it ought to be fine to enter her married name if she has her marriage certificate on her at the interview. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, saksnoot said:

Haven’t done DS-260 yet. Based on the website, seems like it ought to be fine to enter her married name if she has her marriage certificate on her at the interview. 

Yes. That is the visa application so apply in the married name and get the married name passport prior to interview. The visa has to match the passport it is placed in.

[Just Paul 4,595]

On 4/29/2021 at 1:43 AM, saksnoot said:

her current passport won’t be valid for long enough to meet the requirements for visa issuance

Her passport only needs to be valid up to the date of entry in the US.  The visa can expire after the passport expires.

 

If she gets a new passport, prior to visa issuance, it will be no problem to change it at the interview - this is what we did.

 

[saksnoot 31]

Thanks everyone! We applied for priority service on a new passport with her new name. Should be here in one week. Annoyingly, the passport office had to keep our marriage certificate and will send it back via secured delivery in that timeframe too. Worried because we need it back for travel and the rest of this process.