Forgive me for not being back in a while (although I do pop in and read from time to time).

Natalia and I got married on the 12 and things are going even better between us than I could have hoped for in all this time we have only bumped heads on one day (not sure what was wrong with *her*
I truly must give her 90% of the credit for our harmony because she asks for so little and gives so much.
We spend plenty of time together (maybe too much) because most days she insists she would rather go to work with me than sit home without me.

Her English is coming along but not quite as fast as I had expected.
She loves almost every food except Mexican.. jury still out on that.

It's natural to stereotype groups of people and usually there is some truth to it... Russian woman are no exception, however is some ways she is very true to stereo types and in someways not at all, maybe I will go more into that later.

Anyway, the only difficulty I have had is moving her along towards getting her drivers license.
Of course we need proof of residency which we don;t have so I plan to add her name to some utility bills and already got her a checking acc. I kinda wanted to wait until after the wedding to do her name change so we would not have to "redo" everything.
Yesterday we went to SSecurity to get her card changed into her married name and as it turned out the 24th was the expiration date of her k-1 o they said she need to adjust status first, and infact they would not have changed her SSN card within 10 days of expiration.

I have been so busy with every thing lately I have not even read-up on what I need to do next, I guess file for green card? The lady at SSN made it sound like I needed to go to the local Homeland security office... err call them and make an appoint to come in and do that.

So anyone know the 1-2-3 steps from here (or the link at VJ) to educate myself on?

I will post some pics... I just need to erase others posted so as not to exceed the alloted bandwith allowed here at VJ.

actually SSA will not make changes or issue a SSN within 14 days

Getting that social is a real pita. What you're going to have to do next is file for the AOS through Homeland Security. Pretty similar to the K-1 process. Fill out some forms, make a packet, GO TO THE CIVIL SURGEON, write a check, and then send it all in. Couple months later you'll get a work permit or something and then you can get the SSN card changed. Then you'll (both of you) have to go to an interview. A week or two later the green card will arrive.

In the mean time, if you can't get a DL for her, you may be able to get a state ID card. Most states offer a simple ID card if no DL can be issued due to paperwork. You may want to do that simply so she doesn't have to show her passport everywhere for ID purposes. Everyone knows a state ID. No one knows a Russian passport and some even think it's kind of fishy. Get her some kind of home-grown ID to use in the "between time."

Thanks for that input guys.
After trying to call the local department at Homeland and just getting a "Leave your message at the beep... we will get back to you" sorta recording, I decided to run over there (actually 25 minutes).
I see they close up shop at 2:00 everyday so that was a waste.

Even though I was married before, I don't recall how the wife got her name changed.

Can anyone tell me what is the proceedure. I thought when your got married the certificate would indicate the new legal name for the lady but mine does not say anything more than Danny X marries Natalia X.

I thought it might be a good idea to move her last name to a middle name... as she has no middle name chosen when we did the paperwork for the visa.

Since these days there is a wide range (into the absurd) about how or if a lady changes her name after marriage, where does one normally go to do this official Name change?

PS: slim, where does one find a civil surgeon?

Isn't her patronymic her middle name? That's the way all my friends who emigrated from Russia have it.

Good question.
I was under the impression the Patroynomic was not an actual *middle name* but something else... of course we know it comes from her fathers first name but for some reason we decided to drop it all together and after marriage bump her last name to the middle name slot.

The only question has been...where to get this last name change done?

Well considering that you can really make anything you want a middle name for a child... I don't see why the US government wouldn't recognize it.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=787160
here's how to change the last name.

Did you read the guides here on VJ about applying for AOS?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k1k3aos

Guess you know by now you don't GO to Homeland security to file for AOS, you download the forms and fill out everything and send it to Chicago. For what it's worth we never visited the civil surgeon, we sent in our copy of the DS-3025 which is the vaccination form received at the medical prior to the interview in Russia. All vaccinations were up to date and we had no problem getting the approval. There was a good post and poll in the AOS forum this week about this and a lot of other people got approved the same way.

As far as changing your wife's name, you don't need to go anywhere for that. Just send in the AOS with what ever new name she wants to use and that is what will appear on her green card. Just start using her new name on all documents and her drivers license and SS card when you can get it.

Also after this is all done it's a good idea to send her passport to the Russian embassy here in the US to have an addendum placed that shows in the US she is also known as Natalia X.

Neonred pretty much summed it up.

Name changes vary in certain places, but as stated above, just put whatever you want her name to be on the AOS paperwork and then when she gets docs from Homeland Security she can use those to change her social. It's a pretty simple process at that point. She'll just fill out a Form SSA-5 (or whatever it is... it's like the only form at the office) and they'll update her in the system and then send a new card out. Until she gets updated in the Homeland Security system (SAVE) SSA can't do anything.

Civil surgeons can be found through the Homeland Security website. I don't have a link but just look around on there somewhere, it's in the part about adjusting status. She may not need to go. However, even going and getting other shots/tests if necessary is going to run you under $100 so it may be worth checking out.

I got married in Charlotte (Mecklenburg) and the marriage document does not list a "married" name. it is a document that state that these two people got married on this date and it is offically recorded with the clerk of court. Your wife can choose waht name she wants for her bank accounts, Drivers License, ect. You can get her a bank account now with the marriage certificate, passport, and SSN card. You will probably not be able to get her a DL until you get the Receipt fro filing for Adjustment of status. When you file for Adjustment of Status, just use the name she wants to use on that paperwork. We made this mistake and it make getting a DL very difficult in SC (I live just south of Charlotte in SC).

There are many civil surgeons in the Charlotte Area. There is a list on the Homeland Secruity Website, but the one I used was on Westinghouse blvd. Just off I77. E-mail me or PM me and I will find the actual address and phone.

Devereux