Speedy Citizenship

[blueflame1 0]

Hi VJ friends,

I am a Greencard holder(Greencard through marriage) since October 2011. I know I have to wait for two years before I can apply for the Citizenship. But we are having a baby this month. The baby will be a US citizen since his father is. Does this change anything? Can I apply for Citizenship sooner? I just want to get it all over with and have my last name changed without paying more money to ICE.

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you all!

STH

[aleful 1,905]

Hi VJ friends,

I am a Greencard holder(Greencard through marriage) since October 2011. I know I have to wait for two years before I can apply for the Citizenship. But we are having a baby this month. The baby will be a US citizen since his father is. Does this change anything? Can I apply for Citizenship sooner? I just want to get it all over with and have my last name changed without paying more money to ICE.

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you all!

STH

nope, that's the soonest that you can. other family based resdents have to wait 5 years. you can file ciitzenship at 3 years of marriage and 3 years of residency,

plus since you have the 2 year conditional GC you have to remove conditions before citizenship.

[milimelo 4,226]

No. And it's three (or 5) years since you get your residency if married to the same USC for 3+ years.

[Ree 9]

Yes, you can apply for citizenship sooner than in 3 years after becoming GC holder. If your husband is in military and deployed overseas and you are going there with him, you can apply for citizenship now. If you are having a baby or not doesn't change anything.

If you want to get your name changed before getting citizenship your need to pay for I-90 and get new greencard.

You don't need to do anything with ICE, unless you are an illegal immigrant and fight deportation.

[Miss M 54]

Posters before me are all correct. I have 2 US citizen children, and still have to wait out the same time period as everyone else.

[blueflame1 0]

Aw shucks.. Thanks anyways very much appreciated!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hi VJ friends,

I am a Greencard holder(Greencard through marriage) since October 2011. I know I have to wait for two years before I can apply for the Citizenship. But we are having a baby this month. The baby will be a US citizen since his father is. Does this change anything? Can I apply for Citizenship sooner? I just want to get it all over with and have my last name changed without paying more money to ICE.

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you all!

STH

NO changes for a baby. The baby will be a citizen at birth. You could have changed your last name with AOS and could do so now and change it with USCIS when you do your citizenship. ICE does not grant name changes. You are married, you can change to your married name any time you want.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Yes, you can apply for citizenship sooner than in 3 years after becoming GC holder. If your husband is in military and deployed overseas and you are going there with him, you can apply for citizenship now. If you are having a baby or not doesn't change anything.

If you want to get your name changed before getting citizenship your need to pay for I-90 and get new greencard.

You don't need to do anything with ICE, unless you are an illegal immigrant and fight deportation.

You can change your name by simply changing your name. Go to the DMV with your marriage certificate and get a new drivers license. Go to the SS office and present your marriage certificate and get a new SS card. Voila!

You only need to pay if you want to change the name ON THE GREEN CARD but you do not have to do that, just keep documentation if you travelthat you are using your married name. When you file for citizenship you can also change your name with USCIS.

You can be "Mrs Smith" today and "Mrs Jones" tomorrow, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER WOMAN who gets married. That is not an immigration matter.

[Ree 9]

Go to the SS office and present your marriage certificate and get a new SS card. Voila!

You only need to pay if you want to change the name ON THE GREEN CARD but you do not have to do that, just keep documentation if you travelthat you are using your married name.

As far as I know, SS office won't give you a SSN card with your new name unless you have updated greencard matching your new name.

[Holliday 4]

You can change your name by simply changing your name. Go to the DMV with your marriage certificate and get a new drivers license. Go to the SS office and present your marriage certificate and get a new SS card. Voila!

You only need to pay if you want to change the name ON THE GREEN CARD but you do not have to do that, just keep documentation if you travelthat you are using your married name. When you file for citizenship you can also change your name with USCIS.

You can be "Mrs Smith" today and "Mrs Jones" tomorrow, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER WOMAN who gets married. That is not an immigration matter.

Ehhh... that may not be entirely true. The DMV part, anyway. Some states will only issue a driver's license in the name exactly as it appears on the green card (Oklahoma for example.) I don't know how many states are backwards in that way as Oklahoma seems to be. Hopefully not many?

So depending on where the OP lives, she may be stuck with her maiden name on her ID for a while, unless she wants to file the I-90 and get her name changed on her card. But since her objective seems to be not paying more money than necessary, I don't recommend this. When she files the I-751, she can ask them to issue the new card in her married name, with her marriage certificate being proof of the name change. No extra fees involved there.

That was my experience, anyway. I had all my bank stuff and medical stuff changed to my married name before I even moved to the U.S., but all my "official" ID was - and still is - in my maiden name. I've always carried around a copy of my marriage certificate just in case, but I've only needed to show it to anybody once or twice.

[NickD 202]

I am lost, didn't your husband petition for you, and to do so, weren't you already married to him, assuming your green card is in your maiden name. And changing your name to what? An entirely different name or to your husband's last name? Or did you just insist on using your maiden name on your first green card, you can do that if you wish. My wife used both, but was easy to drop her maiden name at her citizenship interview with no delays, was the tradition in her country, but certainly leads to lots of confusion here.

Its easy for a woman to change her maiden name to her married name, in practically all instances with exception of the USCIS, not only cost you a small fortune but takes months. Also wonder about your removal of conditions status if you were married less than two years before applying.

Having a baby does give extra evidence of a valid married relationship, but only augments your evidence, still need all that other stuff like joint taxes and for a good relationship, paying bills and buying stuff in both of your names, when applying for that three year marriage privilege. USCIS defines a happy marriage as filing joint income taxes together.

[bigdog 376]

It is best and easiest to change your name at the AOS, then Social and DMV, etc...

[blueflame1 0]

Thanks everyone! Like Ree mentioned you cannot have your last name changed on your SS card without the name being changed on your GC. And to change your name on your Driver's license you need the SS card with the new last name. To change the name on before you get your citizenship, there is a fee of some kind, which I dont wanna pay. Correct me if I am wrong.

Thank you all for your inputs!

[blueflame1 0]

I am lost, didn't your husband petition for you, and to do so, weren't you already married to him, assuming your green card is in your maiden name. And changing your name to what? An entirely different name or to your husband's last name? Or did you just insist on using your maiden name on your first green card, you can do that if you wish. My wife used both, but was easy to drop her maiden name at her citizenship interview with no delays, was the tradition in her country, but certainly leads to lots of confusion here.

Its easy for a woman to change her maiden name to her married name, in practically all instances with exception of the USCIS, not only cost you a small fortune but takes months. Also wonder about your removal of conditions status if you were married less than two years before applying.

Having a baby does give extra evidence of a valid married relationship, but only augments your evidence, still need all that other stuff like joint taxes and for a good relationship, paying bills and buying stuff in both of your names, when applying for that three year marriage privilege. USCIS defines a happy marriage as filing joint income taxes together.

I am talking about changing my last name. With the baby on the way I was hoping to have the same last name as my husband and the baby.

The citizenship interview is the one you have after 3 years right??

I guess thats the only way to do it without paying for it and having to do a bunch more paper work.

How did your wife get the name changed? What forms did she have to file?

Thanks for your time!

[NickD 202]

I am talking about changing my last name. With the baby on the way I was hoping to have the same last name as my husband and the baby.

The citizenship interview is the one you have after 3 years right??

I guess thats the only way to do it without paying for it and having to do a bunch more paper work.

How did your wife get the name changed? What forms did she have to file?

Thanks for your time!

During through our AOS process, wife had to show her birth certificate, previous marriage certificate, divorce papers, that stated she was changing her name back to her maiden name. That name was on our marriage certificate. But she elected to call herself Gloria Consuelo Smith-De XXXXXXX, where Smith was her maiden name. She kept that name for the I-751, but for her naturalization interview, that Smith name was dropped. Her IO said no problem and that is how her naturalization certificate turned out.

We showed that to SS and the DMV, no problem in dropping her maiden name, her only proof of that change was our marriage certificate. Only thing on the certificate was her maiden name and my name. They just look down at my last name, and that is now her last name.

I think in your case, all you need is your marriage certificate and perhaps proof of your maiden name that you should already have on your green card. Course they take that away at your oath ceremony, SS may want to see your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and naturalization certificate.

My newest daughter-in-law just went in with her drivers' license and her marriage certificate, plus her old SS card.