change ur name

[berotop 0]

Hello,VJ

N400 application is good chance to legally change my name. and im going to send the n 400 very soon and i still don't know the name im going to choose.on the n 400 app when they ask me that do you want to change ur name can i say no and during the interview can i ask to change my name ? until i see which name i want ?

one more question plz if i change my name during the interview can i attained my ceremony in the same day ? or i have to wait for different ceremony ?

thanks

[Anh map 2,098]

Check the USCIS page to find out when your local office has oath ceremonies.

[NexGen 8]

If you request a name change during the interview, then you will require a judicial ceremony where the oath is administered by a judge. This could take longer to schedule because some field offices only conduct judicial ceremonies once a month. Please check the USCIS page for your field office to see if they have any information around judicial ceremonies.

In cases where the applicant does not require a name change, the oath is administered by a USCIS officer in what is called an administrative ceremony. These are scheduled more frequently and a few field offices still offer same day or next day oath ceremonies. Most times you will not know if this option is available to you until the day of the interview. But don't let the process dictate your decision.

[AnotherLostSoul 167]

@NextGen: can you direct to the actual link at USCIS where one can check the the USCIS page for the actual field office to see their dates...I don't seem to find anything, just a generic website about naturalization/oath ceremonies by USCIS...nothing specific by field offices. Thanks!

[NexGen 8]

@NextGen: can you direct to the actual link at USCIS where one can check the the USCIS page for the actual field office to see their dates...I don't seem to find anything, just a generic website about naturalization/oath ceremonies by USCIS...nothing specific by field offices. Thanks!

Apologies, I should have said check the court system for judicial ceremonies. Where are you located, maybe I can try and pull it up for you. City, County and State please. Thanks.

[AnotherLostSoul 167]

Apologies, I should have said check the court system for judicial ceremonies. Where are you located, maybe I can try and pull it up for you. City, County and State please. Thanks.

Hey NextGen: thank you for your reply. I live super close to Sacramento, CA so I am pretty sure I would be "handled" by the Sacramento field office. Another quick question just to see if you may know:

Say, my current name is Dorotia Marie Smith and say I want to change it to: Dorothy Marie Smith so that "my foreign name" spelled as "Dorotia" would be more like the English spelling as "Dorothy". Is that count as a legal name change and requires judicial ceremony, or that is actually more of an administrative ceremony. What do you think, or know?

Thank you!

[NexGen 8]

@NextGen: can you direct to the actual link at USCIS where one can check the the USCIS page for the actual field office to see their dates...I don't seem to find anything, just a generic website about naturalization/oath ceremonies by USCIS...nothing specific by field offices. Thanks!

The information around judicial ceremonies on the website of the California Eastern district court, which is the judicial jurisdiction for Sacramento, is non existent. Honestly I am not sure what to make of it. I reviewed some older posts but the information is inconsistent and I am not sure it is even reliable since some posts are 2-3 years old. One post suggested that the name change order is provided together with the naturalization certificate during the administrative ceremony. Another poster suggested that Sacramento no longer conducts judicial ceremonies and the applicant must petition the court after the administrative oath ceremony. Like I said, not consistent.

Might I suggest that you call the California Eastern District court and follow up with them directly. Ask if they perform judicial naturalization ceremonies and how often. I have included their link below.

And yes, the anglicization of your first name probably meets the criteria of a name change and requires a court order. But I am not an expert on USCIS rules so hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. Also please post what you find out since it might be useful to others in the same situation. Best of luck and sorry I could not provide more clarity.

http://www.caed.uscourts.gov/caednew/

[AnotherLostSoul 167]

The information around judicial ceremonies on the website of the California Eastern district court, which is the judicial jurisdiction for Sacramento, is non existent. Honestly I am not sure what to make of it. I reviewed some older posts but the information is inconsistent and I am not sure it is even reliable since some posts are 2-3 years old. One post suggested that the name change order is provided together with the naturalization certificate during the administrative ceremony. Another poster suggested that Sacramento no longer conducts judicial ceremonies and the applicant must petition the court after the administrative oath ceremony. Like I said, not consistent.

Might I suggest that you call the California Eastern District court and follow up with them directly. Ask if they perform judicial naturalization ceremonies and how often. I have included their link below.

And yes, the anglicization of your first name probably meets the criteria of a name change and requires a court order. But I am not an expert on USCIS rules so hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. Also please post what you find out since it might be useful to others in the same situation. Best of luck and sorry I could not provide more clarity.

http://www.caed.uscourts.gov/caednew/

Hi NextGen:

Thank you for your prompt and thorough reply. I will try to check into things. And will definitely come back here to update what is going on here...Again, thank you very much! Please take care!

[JimmyHou 610]

Hello,VJ

N400 application is good chance to legally change my name. and im going to send the n 400 very soon and i still don't know the name im going to choose.on the n 400 app when they ask me that do you want to change ur name can i say no and during the interview can i ask to change my name ? until i see which name i want ?

one more question plz if i change my name during the interview can i attained my ceremony in the same day ? or i have to wait for different ceremony ?

thanks

Answers to a lot of your questions on this discussion thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/549894-information-on-name-change-during-naturalization/

[AnotherLostSoul 167]

Hi Nexgen (and others): as promised, I am here posting up. So, turned out, Sacramento Field office (and any nearby office) does NOT do judicial ceremony. Technically, if one is really desperate about name change, they can go to a separate court with their naturalization certificate and all the other relevant papers and pay $400 something dollars to do the name change. I just asked this today at USCIS at the end of my interview. Hope this helps others! All the best!

[NexGen 8]

Hi Nexgen (and others): as promised, I am here posting up. So, turned out, Sacramento Field office (and any nearby office) does NOT do judicial ceremony. Technically, if one is really desperate about name change, they can go to a separate court with their naturalization certificate and all the other relevant papers and pay $400 something dollars to do the name change. I just asked this today at USCIS at the end of my interview. Hope this helps others! All the best!

Thanks for the update and many congratulations on your successful interview. Bring a packet of tissues to the oath ceremony. It is surprisingly very emotional.

[AnotherLostSoul 167]

Awe Nextgen! Thanks for the advice! I will call Kleenex company up and ask them to increase their production rate!

Thanks for the update and many congratulations on your successful interview. Bring a packet of tissues to the oath ceremony. It is surprisingly very emotional.