Changing the name of a 19 year old on initial Green Card

[jim_julian 25]

I've searched and I do not see that this topic has been covered previously ...

Our 19 year old K2 wants to change her name. We filed the 485 under her current legal Chinese name. We are in California and we have the K2 AOS interview coming up in a few weeks.

Our daughter wants to take my family name and she wants to change her first name also. She does not have a social security number as yet and does not have a state ID/driver's license. About the only things with her name on them are the AOS package, her Chinese passport, and her student ID at college. College says no problem changing her name if she gets a different name on the GC. SS and driver's license will follow whatever name is on the GC. Her mother already has her GC in her married name; our K2 was a "follow to join".

We are aware that USCIS will change a wife's last name at the AOS interview and they will also accept filing the 485 etc in a married name.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge regarding changing a young adult/child (at 19 it depends on what you're talking about) name at the AOS interview? It seems if we could get the GC issued in the desired name then everything else will fall in place. (There is no worry with the name in the Chinese passport being different, we know how to handle that)

Thanks for your help!

[Dakine 26]

I've searched and I do not see that this topic has been covered previously ...

Our 19 year old K2 wants to change her name. We filed the 485 under her current legal Chinese name. We are in California and we have the K2 AOS interview coming up in a few weeks.

Our daughter wants to take my family name and she wants to change her first name also. She does not have a social security number as yet and does not have a state ID/driver's license. About the only things with her name on them are the AOS package, her Chinese passport, and her student ID at college. College says no problem changing her name if she gets a different name on the GC. SS and driver's license will follow whatever name is on the GC. Her mother already has her GC in her married name; our K2 was a "follow to join".

We are aware that USCIS will change a wife's last name at the AOS interview and they will also accept filing the 485 etc in a married name.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge regarding changing a young adult/child (at 19 it depends on what you're talking about) name at the AOS interview? It seems if we could get the GC issued in the desired name then everything else will fall in place. (There is no worry with the name in the Chinese passport being different, we know how to handle that)

Thanks for your help!

I adopted my daughter and changed name.

You can also do a legal name change.

Only takes a few days. Most states have different requirements to do so.

I think you can even do a legal name change online!

Edited August 29, 2007 by beckypua

[jim_julian 25]

Thank you Becky. We understand the legal name change process for California but were loath to do that in the middle of AOS. We know that we can change her name through the courts after the conditional GC is issued and then apply for a new GC at considerable cost or wait until we hit the two year removal of conditions.

We are seeking to keep it simple and inexpensive by changing the GC name at the interview if that is possible.

[perfect 39]

I know it's possible to do that at Naturalization but I have never heard of it being done at AOS. Particularly because to make it a "legal" name change you have to go through the specific process. I would think USCIS would require the name change to be done legally before they would change the name on a greencard - they usually require evidence of legal name change docs - otherwise you could be anyone asking to be called anything.

http://www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?...52a6a6f7db5ebf8

[jim_julian 25]

I am happy to report that the Immigration Officer accepted our request to change our 19 year old K2's name at the AOS interview. The name change was done under the common law stipulation accepted by our state and the US government. We filed a home built "legal" form (see below). The request was to change the family name to my family name and the given name to a more user friendly approximation of her old given name.

We received the Green Card today with the new name as requested.

Here's the form we used:

I, the undersigned, declare that I am 18 years of age or older and further declare:

1. I, (new name), was born (old name), in (city, country) on (birth date).

2. I HEREBY DECLARE my intent to change my legal name, and be henceforth exclusively known as (new name).

3. I, the undersigned, wish to have my Registration as a Permenant Resident of the United States issued in the name of (new name).

4. I further declare that I have no intention of defrauding any person or escaping any obligation I may presently have by this act.

5. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all agencies of the State of California, all agencies of the Federal Government, all creditors and all private persons, groups, businesses, corporations and associations of said legal name change.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

Date

New Signature

Old Signature