Passport Problem?

[Bill y Bella 0]

I just realized that my passport does not include the suffix on my last name. Therefore the name on my passport is slightly different than my application and birth certificate, both of which include the suffix.

I was counting on using the passport with the exit and entrance stamps as my primary evidence of being in Colombia. However, now I am worried about submitting my passport with the I-129F. If they reject the application because the names don't match I have a serious problem.

Correcting the passport is not an option. They tell me that once a passport is more than 1 year old the only way to correct one is to get a new one. This is not a solution because it will take too long and the new passport will not have the entrance and exit stamps.

I thought about changing the application to match the passport and not submitting the birth certificate, but my real name has the suffix and I am sure the suffix will show up when they do the security check.

Does anyone have experience with a similar situation or suggestions as to how to solve this problem?

Thanks!

[trueimage 0]

I think it will be ok. You will want to make sure that your SO's documents match though and do not have any mistakes on them.

[TinTin and Samby 11]

Bill Y Bella, I'm sorry I can't offer specific help regarding your situation. And please forgive me for tagging on to your post regarding your secondary problem, but that is exactly my finance's "catch 22" also!

She has a passport. That passport has immigration arrival and departure stamps that are critical evidence for our demonstration of having met in the past 2 years. Her passport will expire about a year after we estimate (hope!) that her K1 visa will be issued.

We are concerned that it will take longer to get her AOS/LPR after she arrives here in the USA then the amount of time left on her passport before its expiration. The problem will be that then she will need to renew her passport becuase if it expires she will not be able to travel. When we go to renew the passport, once again she will loose all of the previous documentation in that passport: this time for the CFR, K1 VISA, entry stamp to USA, etc. All of which I would think we would want as documentary evidence for further immigration steps in the future .

What would be best is if she went to get a "fresh" passport just before her embassy K1 interview (actually before the medical exam where you first have to surrender your passport), so that that passport would have enough future validity time to survive and collect documentation throughout the multi-year immigration journey. But alas, the "catch 22" comes up again, because for her to do that, she would have to surrender her current passport which has the evidence we need for the K1 Embassy interview!

If anyone else has found a way around this problem, thanks in advance for sharing it here.

Bill y Bella, I hope that maybe other people's experience with renewing and reissuing passports will be helpful to you as well as me. Good luck!

-Samby

[Craig_Karina 0]

Hola Bill y Bella!!!

I think you are stressing out over nothing. Your current passport shows a photo of you...right? A simple explanation is fine. Next time you renew your passport, make the appropriate correction...that is all there is to it. And, I think that you are permitted to keep your former passport if you want to retain it for some reason...I have mine from 1990 to 2000.

And, I just recently LOST MY PASSPORT with ALL my trips to Colombia stamped in it!!! BUT, lucky for me...I made color photocopies of all the pages in my passport as a part of this process. So, I am not going to get worked up about it! As Forrest Gump said, "__IT HAPPENS!"

It seems that many people get stressed out with the smallest detail..."Will I get my wife here if I forgot to put the "-" between her first and last second last names, etc. EVERYONE---- RELAX!!!!

Sincere Best Wishes!!

[trueimage 0]

Bill Y Bella, I'm sorry I can't offer specific help regarding your situation. And please forgive me for tagging on to your post regarding your secondary problem, but that is exactly my finance's "catch 22" also!

She has a passport. That passport has immigration arrival and departure stamps that are critical evidence for our demonstration of having met in the past 2 years. Her passport will expire about a year after we estimate (hope!) that her K1 visa will be issued.

We are concerned that it will take longer to get her AOS/LPR after she arrives here in the USA then the amount of time left on her passport before its expiration. The problem will be that then she will need to renew her passport becuase if it expires she will not be able to travel. When we go to renew the passport, once again she will loose all of the previous documentation in that passport: this time for the CFR, K1 VISA, entry stamp to USA, etc. All of which I would think we would want as documentary evidence for further immigration steps in the future .

What would be best is if she went to get a "fresh" passport just before her embassy K1 interview (actually before the medical exam where you first have to surrender your passport), so that that passport would have enough future validity time to survive and collect documentation throughout the multi-year immigration journey. But alas, the "catch 22" comes up again, because for her to do that, she would have to surrender her current passport which has the evidence we need for the K1 Embassy interview!

If anyone else has found a way around this problem, thanks in advance for sharing it here.

Bill y Bella, I hope that maybe other people's experience with renewing and reissuing passports will be helpful to you as well as me. Good luck!

-Samby

How long does it take to receive a passport in the Philipines? maybe she could use her passport for the interview and then get a new one before she leaves to come to the USA. Or maybe she can just make color copies of her current passport before surrendering it.

[TinTin and Samby 11]

How long does it take to receive a passport in the Philipines? maybe she could use her passport for the interview and then get a new one before she leaves to come to the USA. Or maybe she can just make color copies of her current passport before surrendering it.

THanks for your reply vismaster, Unfortunately, in the Philippines, you have to surrender your passport at the medical evaluation appointment and the next time that you have your passport back is after the interview. At that time, it already has the VISA Stamp affixed. So, can't surrendor it then, else wouldn't have the VISA for travel/entry to USA.

-Samby

[vsmtghdy 2]

Bill Y Bella, I'm sorry I can't offer specific help regarding your situation. And please forgive me for tagging on to your post regarding your secondary problem, but that is exactly my finance's "catch 22" also!

She has a passport. That passport has immigration arrival and departure stamps that are critical evidence for our demonstration of having met in the past 2 years. Her passport will expire about a year after we estimate (hope!) that her K1 visa will be issued.

We are concerned that it will take longer to get her AOS/LPR after she arrives here in the USA then the amount of time left on her passport before its expiration. The problem will be that then she will need to renew her passport becuase if it expires she will not be able to travel. When we go to renew the passport, once again she will loose all of the previous documentation in that passport: this time for the CFR, K1 VISA, entry stamp to USA, etc. All of which I would think we would want as documentary evidence for further immigration steps in the future .

What would be best is if she went to get a "fresh" passport just before her embassy K1 interview (actually before the medical exam where you first have to surrender your passport), so that that passport would have enough future validity time to survive and collect documentation throughout the multi-year immigration journey. But alas, the "catch 22" comes up again, because for her to do that, she would have to surrender her current passport which has the evidence we need for the K1 Embassy interview!

If anyone else has found a way around this problem, thanks in advance for sharing it here.

Bill y Bella, I hope that maybe other people's experience with renewing and reissuing passports will be helpful to you as well as me. Good luck!

-Samby

Samby, when your fiance renew her passport, the old one will be returned to her. I have all my old passports at home, 3 of them. When you renew passport, they return the old one and cut part of where the signature is (so it cannot be used). Renewal of passport takes only 3 days for the "rush" processing and 5-7 days for the regualr processing.

She can have the new (renewed) passport for her interview and she can bring her old passport to show the previous documentations that you had travelled together. Also, she can photocopy the stamped documentation and place it in a folder (Proof of Relationship/Continuous Relationship), together with the travel iteneraries you had, the plane tickets, hotel receipts and also the pictures during your travel. Pictures speaks louder than the stamped document on the passport. At US Embassy Manila, they take more time looking at the photos than the other documents.

Billy y Bella -> names on documents should match the names on the applications. Maybe you can get an Affidavit that says that this person and this person (with suffix) is one and the same (?). You can submit your application together with that affidavit and also some other supporting documents that will prove your "identity" (real name).

[Bill y Bella 0]

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions.

At this point I am leaning toward just sending everything as is and crossing my fingers no one notices or cares about the missing suffix.

My other option is to send only the passport pages with the entrance and exit stamps and not send the identification page. I know I need to send all pages of the passport if I am using it to prove citizenship, but I can submit my birth certificate for that.

Has anyone submitted only the passport pages with the stamps?

I will also explore the affidavit option, but I am concerned that it might cause more attention to the matter than it would otherwise receive.

Thanks!

[Bill y Bella 0]

Thoughts anyone?

Last chance, I file in 2 days!

[Jeremy + Kristy 0]

When my future step-daughter got her passport, the name is different than the birth certificate name. In Canada, at least, and I think in the US, as well, is that they want the name on you passport to be the one that you "are known by" and not necessarily your full, legal name.