Just starting the K-1 process

[ChrystalandKeith 0]

First of all, thank you all so much for contributing to this forum. I have been reading it for about 2 months now in preparation for our own VisaJourney. Keith just left to go back to London after a three week visit and we're now engaged. Of course we're very sad that we have to be away from one another, but we know it's only temporary. I'm hoping to get some support from this group to help us through the hard times and hoping to avoid pitfalls that may slow down our K-1 process.

We will send off our application around the first week of August once he sends me the appropriate information, but I do have a question. Keith has had a few surname changes over the years due to adoptions, etc. and the surname he goes by in daily life is not the official surname on his passport, etc. We don't want to delay the process by having him get an official name change on his passport now. Once we're married, we both want to change our surnames to the one he goes by in daily life - will this cause problems when we file for his AOS/green card and social security, since his K-1 will be filed under the official surname? We planned to have him update his UK passport after we're married. I've read some of the name change posts, but have found them inconclusive. Your input is appreciated.

[JoannaV 173]

- Make sure he lists all his names when it asks for "other names".

- You can certainly file for AOS with different names than used for K1. This happens a lot of course, especially women who take their husband's name upon marriage. The timeline can be slightly complicated, in that if he needs to update his passport before filing AOS then this will delay you. Also, he won't have his passport for ID etc whilst it is being changed, and I'm not sure that someone in the US on what is technically a nonimmigrant visa should be without their passport and visa...

- I'm wondering if it's possible for him to change his name during the K1 process, ie after sending off the I-129F petition but before actually getting the visa. From other posts on here I would think this is possible. He would want to get his name change sorted asap after filing the petition, so that it was all done and dusted before the visa application paperwork.