Married and confused about next steps

[William & Judi 0]

My (now) wife and step-daughter arrived in the US and we've since been married but haven't filed any forms.

 

Both my wife and step-daughter want to change their names but I'm confused when and how to do this.

 

From what I'm now reading I think I messed up in that I should've requested SS cards as soon as they arrived and if what I've read is correct my wife should've signed the name she wants on the marriage certificate???  Which confuses me since I thought it was a legal document and she had to use her current legal name????

 

I haven't filed the i-485 or i-765 or requested SS cards and I'm so confused as to what I should do first to get names changed and get the next steps going.

 

I just don't want to screw anything up,

Thanks for help.

[SalishSea 17,834]

So they just came on B visas or something, and now want to stay?

[William & Judi 0]

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

 

Wife and step-daughter entered on K-1 and K-2

[Dashinka 24,507]

Best to start by reading the guide linked below.  You will want to file the adjustment of status forms I485/I864 and if desired, I131/I765 as soon as you can.  If your now wife wants to take your family name by marriage, fill out her I485 with that name desired on the GC.  I am not sure if you can do the same thing on your step-daughter’s form, others may know better.  I probably would not waste time filing the I765 for your step-daughter unless she is over 16 and may want to see about working since that form adds cost now.  Lastly unless there is more than 2-3 weeks of validity left on their authorized stay from the K entries, you will need to wait to get an SSN.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

[wildbug100420 104]

7 hours ago, William & Judi said:

My (now) wife and step-daughter arrived in the US and we've since been married but haven't filed any forms.

 

Both my wife and step-daughter want to change their names but I'm confused when and how to do this.

 

From what I'm now reading I think I messed up in that I should've requested SS cards as soon as they arrived and if what I've read is correct my wife should've signed the name she wants on the marriage certificate???  Which confuses me since I thought it was a legal document and she had to use her current legal name????

 

I haven't filed the i-485 or i-765 or requested SS cards and I'm so confused as to what I should do first to get names changed and get the next steps going.

 

I just don't want to screw anything up,

Thanks for help.

Please complete your timelines. How did you arrive in the US?

 

 

[wildbug100420 104]

Just now, wildbug100420 said:

Please complete your timelines. How did you arrive in the US?

 

 

You must marry and file 485, 864 within 90 days or you are out of Status 

[Edward and Jaycel 171]

If you and your wife married withing the 90 days, then she just has to file the I-485 (and I-765 if she wants employment authorization prior to receiving her green card and I-131 if she wants advanced parole - travel authorization). On the I-485 (and the other two, if filed) she will put the new married name she wants to take (on the I-485 this goes in the "Your Current Legal Name" spot and her maiden name will go in the "Other Names You Have Used Since Birth" spot). She can then request a SSN via the I-485 form, Part 1, Questions 14-17. If she files the I-765 there is also a spot on there to request a social security number. If you file both forms, you should request a SSN on both forms as generally the I-765 is adjudicated faster and she will get the SS card faster with her married name. Then when they approve her I-485 the SSA will issue her a new card, still with her married name but this one will have the employment restriction verbiage removed

 

[William & Judi 0]

1 hour ago, Edward and Jaycel said:

If you and your wife married withing the 90 days, then she just has to file the I-485 (and I-765 if she wants employment authorization prior to receiving her green card and I-131 if she wants advanced parole - travel authorization). On the I-485 (and the other two, if filed) she will put the new married name she wants to take (on the I-485 this goes in the "Your Current Legal Name" spot and her maiden name will go in the "Other Names You Have Used Since Birth" spot). She can then request a SSN via the I-485 form, Part 1, Questions 14-17. If she files the I-765 there is also a spot on there to request a social security number. If you file both forms, you should request a SSN on both forms as generally the I-765 is adjudicated faster and she will get the SS card faster with her married name. Then when they approve her I-485 the SSA will issue her a new card, still with her married name but this one will have the employment restriction verbiage removed

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

 

This post has more answers then almost 20 hours of googling trying to clarify some of those details...

I think the only other question I have left is, what about my step-daughter.  Can she change her name similarly like can she put new name under legal and use the Part 14. Additional Information to stipulate birth name or will we need to wait until everything is processed and do a regular name change later?

[Edward and Jaycel 171]

11 minutes ago, William & Judi said:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

 

This post has more answers then almost 20 hours of googling trying to clarify some of those details...

I think the only other question I have left is, what about my step-daughter.  Can she change her name similarly like can she put new name under legal and use the Part 14. Additional Information to stipulate birth name or will we need to wait until everything is processed and do a regular name change later?

 

I don't know how that would work for your step-daughter. The name change for your wife is supported on the form because you will be attaching your marriage certificate which is what allows for a legal name change via the application. My guess is that for your step-daughter, it would have to be a name change later done via a court process. 

 

And you are very welcome! Jaycel and I have received so much help from this forum that we are happy to share our experiences with our fellow travelers through this immigration process  

 

By the way, if you want to see what we included for the I-485 and I-765 filings, I started a thread for November AOS Filier here and listed the contents from our cover letters:
 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Edward and Jaycel

[Edward and Jaycel 171]

P.S. - @William & Judi you can return the favor by filling out your VJ timeline. That helps all members by adding to the stats and helping form more accurate processing time estimates