N400 Filing & Name Change

[Lights 56]

My husband and I are thinking of filing for my N400. I've hit the 3 year married mark and have been waiting for a year for our ROC to go through. 

 

We are expecting our first child and would love to get a lot of the paperwork over with. I know that with filing for N400, you can legally change your name. I did not take my husbands last name when we initially got married because I wanted to keep my name the same to not complicate our immigration process. With us expecting our first, I'm really wanting to change my name and go through naturalization. 

 

How do we go about, once naturalization is completed, getting your Canadian passport changed?

 

TIA 

[payxibka 10,044]

Renew your passport – adults in the United States

Government of Canada consular offices in the United States do not provide passport services. You must send your application by mail.

If you happen to be in Canada, you can apply in person at a passport office or a Service Canada receiving agent and make arrangements to pick it up for an additional service fee (passport offices only) or have the passport delivered to an address in Canada or to your home address in the United States.

[captainyeti 2]

The name change is part of a section in the N400 package so you’ll just fill that part out the way you want your name to appear. Since you are doing a legal name change, when the time comes for you to be naturalized you’ll have to have a judicial ceremony rather than a normal one because of the name change. I changed my name at time of marriage and filed for my new passport this summer, I filed by mail (also from Canada) and you simply just include the document that supports the name change (which would be your certificate of naturalization that shows change of name) and your new passport will reflect that change. I also plan to change my first name when the time comes for my N400 so I have read up a lot about this process. 

[Lights 56]

1 hour ago, captainyeti said:

The name change is part of a section in the N400 package so you’ll just fill that part out the way you want your name to appear. Since you are doing a legal name change, when the time comes for you to be naturalized you’ll have to have a judicial ceremony rather than a normal one because of the name change. I changed my name at time of marriage and filed for my new passport this summer, I filed by mail (also from Canada) and you simply just include the document that supports the name change (which would be your certificate of naturalization that shows change of name) and your new passport will reflect that change. I also plan to change my first name when the time comes for my N400 so I have read up a lot about this process. 

Thank you! That seems easy enough. My passport was close to expiring so I had already renewed with my maiden name but will change it once I go through the ceremony etc. 

 

Thanks again! 

[dburnt 59]

OK, so this is my situation except I'm currently at the I-751 stage.  

 

You cannot change any of your ID until DHS shows your "new" name.  Once you are naturalized (i.e. DHS shows your new name), you will need to change your name with Social Security. 

 

Once you have done that, you can get a new driver's licence with your new name.  Once you have that, you can change your name at the banks, and wherever else you like.  I have tried to change my name in Canada (banks, etc.) and they will not without valid US ID in my new name.  Canadian Passport change doesn't seem to require this, and you can always visit a passport office if you go back to Canada (this is what I plan to do, as I am told if you have a valid reason (travel plans) they will not invalidate your old passport).  New passports can be received within 10 days.

 

Now, I had an InfoPass appointment this week, and my name is updated on all the systems except one (maiden name still shows on my Green Card), so the agent told me I could either wait for the ROC to complete (I'm looking at another 4 to 6 months, being at CSC) OR I could submit a name change request for my GC (i-90).  This has a significant cost ($450 I believe), and would likely take 4 to 6 months as well, so didn't make sense to me.  Because I've done the request to name change through the ROC,  I am to just use my "new" name on my N400.

 

My question to you is this...since you've already filed the ROC, could you amend your application to make the name change? Sadly you are at CSC as well, so that might not be the answer you want.