Question about last names on paperwork/documents

[oldgreg 28]

Looking for some assistance or guidance. My wife arrived to the US on her IR-1 visa last week. We filed all the paperwork with her taking my last name. Her visa in her passport has her maiden name. Today we got her social security card and it has her maiden name. Any idea of the green card will come with her maiden name or my last name? 

 

In the Latin American culture they generally don't change last names and we were not going to do it but we were advised to do it to make things easier. 

 

If the green card will have her maiden name, I am fine with sticking with her maiden name. Have any of you dealt with this?

[Moda25 75]

What paperwork did you do to change her last name? With just the marriage certificate, you could have gone to SS office to get her new name on the SS card. If she entered the US with her maiden name on her passport and visa, then it’s likely her green card would be issued in that name. 

[oldgreg 28]

We filed the visa paperwork using my last name. For example, everything was Raquel Smith. Now her social security card and Visa have Raquel ibarra abarca. 

[Moda25 75]

@oldgreg Her passport?

[oldgreg 28]

We got married in Costa Rica, never filed any paperwork down there to change her name. Her passport with the visa still has her maiden name. The only reason we filed paperwork with my last name is the lady helping us with suggested it would make things easier. 

We don't want to complicate things and if everything is with her maiden name, that is fine. 

[pushbrk 13,860]

11 minutes ago, oldgreg said:

We got married in Costa Rica, never filed any paperwork down there to change her name. Her passport with the visa still has her maiden name. The only reason we filed paperwork with my last name is the lady helping us with suggested it would make things easier. 

We don't want to complicate things and if everything is with her maiden name, that is fine. 

It would have made things easier, only if you also changed the name in her passport.  Next opportunity to make an official name change without going to court, is when she naturalizes.  Visas and green cards always match the passport name.  Evidently, "the lady helping you" was not fully informed, or did not fully inform you.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by pushbrk

[OldUser 10,552]

17 minutes ago, oldgreg said:

 

The only reason we filed paperwork with my last name is the lady helping us with suggested it would make things easier. 

 

That lady told you a lie. Was she a notario? Don't ever pay notarios, they harm more than they help. Changing name does not make things easier by definition. The easiest is keeping the same name, always.

 

Next time, please research the process yourself (you can ask VJ for help) or pay a real lawyer. Paying notarios, paralegal online services is a bad idea. They don't care about your case and they lack education in the subject.

Edited 3 hours ago by OldUser

[Crazy Cat 45,395]

43 minutes ago, oldgreg said:

Now her social security card and Visa have Raquel ibarra abarca. 

That will be the Green Card name.

[oldgreg 28]

Appreciate the info. Makes things easy bc I was thinking half would be in maiden name and the other half would be in married name. You guys are the best.

[pushbrk 13,860]

55 minutes ago, oldgreg said:

Appreciate the info. Makes things easy bc I was thinking half would be in maiden name and the other half would be in married name. You guys are the best.

Remember that for international travel, reservations and tickets must be in the same exact name as the passport.  Imagine traveling back to the USA with a passport in the maiden name and a green card in the married name.  It actually does work, but you have to travel with the marriage certificate and/or name change documents too.