Mistake on name in I-94

[EllinDiasporas 1]

Dear VJ members,

I'm writing you for some feedback on this odd situation I ran into this a.m. when applying with my wife for an SSN for her. We got married 2 weeks ago, as she arrived

here on a K-1 visa in late September. The SSA employee was extremely nice and helpful but she indicated that her the print-out of her I-94 had a mistake on her name.

My wife is Greek and has two names (but not a middle name). Let's say her name is XX YY and her maiden family name is AA. We are applying for AOS, Advanced Parole and temporary work authorization for her under the name

of XX YY BB. BB is my last name ; our marriage certificate reflects her intent to change names. The entire K-1 visa process treated her name as XX YY AA, which is also what her passport and the final visa write. However, her I-94 lists her

as XX AA with YY listed as her middle name. Apparently, the mistake in the records was due to the officer at JFK airport, my wife's entry point into the country. He had told her everything was fine

The SSA person said she could only issue a SSN card under the name XX AA with YY as her middle name as this is what the immigration records reflect. We are supposed to correct this by caling up immigration. When we receive either the EAD or the Green Card which lists her name as XX YY BB we can go back to the SSA office to obtain a new card.

I've looked through a few links here but remain a little confused. My questions are: a) Whom do I contact exactly in immigration to make this correction ? I believe it's not the standard USCIS number, right ?

b) We intend to submit our AOS paperwork tomorrow. Will this discrepancy in name on the I-94 and what we submit for AOS cause issues ? I believe AOS works with the passport information.

Many thanks in advance for any feedback you might have !

[Hypnos 6,576]

You can either wait to receive an EAD / green card in the name you want to have on the social security card and then obtain it using that, or visit a CBP Deferred Inspection office where they would be able to correct the I-94 information and you could get the social security card issued now (assuming there are at least 14 days of validity left on the I-94 on the day you make the application at the SSA).

You can find a list of Deferred Inspection sites here: http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/contacts/deferred_inspection/deferred_inspection_sites.ctt/deferred_inspection_sites.xls Depending on the office you may need to make an appointment, so it's usually best to call ahead if you choose to pursue this route.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Hypnos

[EllinDiasporas 1]

Got it and I really appreciate the quick response ! What you write confirms what the SSA employee told us, i.e. bring an EAD/Green Card with the correct name and they'll issue a corrected/updated SS card. In the meantime, we can use one where the YY part is listed as her middle name.

I also appreciate the CBP office list. The closest ones to us are about 2 hrs 45 mins. in either direction, near the Canadian border of NY state. If I could avoid burning a day to get out there I would prefer it.

So here's my other question: If we submit the AOS paperwork with my wife's correct name would this error/discrepancy in the I-94 cause any problems and stall her AOS application and result in a RFE ? I ask this because we're also applying for advanced parole and temporary work authorization and I'd like to avoid any unnecessary road-blocks. My hope is that they'll rely on what her passport write.

Thank you again and have a great night !

[Hypnos 6,576]

Provided you have documentation of her legal name now (be it from a birth certificate, passport, or marriage certificate) then it shouldn't cause an issue.

[EllinDiasporas 1]

Got it and thank you for the clarification. We indeed have all those documents.

I really appreciate the insights !