snewbery

I would not say "lucky" really. I called the SSA to get advice on how to apply for her SSC, followed their advice and as I said, at the SSA office both agents that we dealt with were very clear on how to handle a K1 visa case. That said, the excellent SSN guide here does not mention how to handle marriage name changes.

I think you might have missed my first second step which was to go to the SSA office BEFORE we were married and file for a SSN using her maiden name as listed in her passport. After we were married with the recorded MC in hand we returned to request a replacement SSC with her new name. To clarify, what I meant to write was that the updated SSC with her new name was the first document listing the name change. Agreed that the MC is the official name change doc. The I-485 and related AOS forms we submitted all bear her new name and hence the eventual green card should as well.

Good question! I saw in the I-485 where we could request a SSC but opted to go to Social Security directly since we thought that would move faster and we would have the new card in hand sooner. If you already requested yours through the I-485 it will probably be best to wait for them to process your submission. I hope this helps!

Since my wife just went through this I will post our experience. 1. to move quickly after US entry we applied for a Marriage License in Colorado before going to the Social Security office. The County required her to sign an affidavit stating that she did not have a SSN at the time we applied for the license. 2. We went to the Social Security office with all the required documents (her Argentine passport with K1 Visa and POE stamp, I-94 form and just in case, her I-797 form from the I-129F submission). All was OK and they approved the SSN request using her maiden name. 3. We got married, submitted the completed marriage license and waited for the recorded Marriage Certificate to come back in the mail. 4. We went back to the Social Security office with the Marriage Certificate and requested her name change due to marriage. No problem at all and we got the updated SS card in the mail days later. That was the first official name change document. 5. I completed and submitted the I-485, I-864 and I-131 using her new married name which should result in an AP and green card in her new name.

Good question, I have a similar situation so I put 0. I checked the I-134 instructions and this detail is not there.

Why "could" or "last resort"? USCIS just cares that the visa beneficiary is no longer married and hence able to marry the petitioner. In form 129-F, the instructions clearly say to provide a divorce decree OR death certificate. If the first (or any) ex-spouse is deceased, then clearly the beneficiary is legally able to re-marry. I am also assuming in this case there is a divorce decree available for the second marriage.

If I got this straight, this is the marriage for which you do not have a divorce decree? If she passed away, a death certificate will fulfill the USCIS requirement. The point is to prove you are no longer married to this person and obviously a widow or widower is no longer married.

Regarding form I-134, I have read that the petitioner in the USA can complete and sign / date the form in ink, then scan to pdf and email it to the beneficiary who can print it in their home country and that will be sufficient for the US Consulate or Embassy interview. To be certain however, I would suggest emailing the local US Consulate.

My understanding is that you can complete your DS-160 as soon as you receive the P3 welcome email from the Embassy which handles your case but not sooner.

Congratulations...finally!!! Great timing to go celebrate!

Sorry for the late reply, I don't check this thread as often now that I am on the NVC thread. I contacted my Congressman a year and two months after my NOA1 but from what I have learned, I should have done it sooner. Your Congressman or Senator's office will be happy to help after at least a year of waiting. You will probably get the standard reply from USCIS that your case is progressing normally, but behind the scenes, a Congressional Inquiry will most likely trigger a speed-up on your case. Good Luck!

Joining this thread with a NOA2 date of 14 June 2023. My first NVC inquiry on 3 July got a reply on 10 July stating "not received yet". Hopefully NVC is speeding up a bit just like USCIS has recently.

Just FYI, when our case seemed overdue looking at the updated spreadsheet in this thread I decided to contact my Congressman's office and they were amazingly helpful and filed a Congressional Inquiry on my behalf. They forwarded a USCIS response saying that is was "processing normally" but alas, two weeks later it was approved. I have read elsewhere on VJ an interview with a former USCIS officer who stated that when they get a Congressional Inquiry, they do have to get on it ASAP even though this is not publicly stated. Good luck on your case, I hope it's approved soon!

Our case with NOA1 of 22 Feb 2022 was finally approved on 14 June after 477 days. It looks like they are finally cleaning up untouched cases in Feb. Good luck to everyone still waiting, hopefully any day now!