Should we get SSN with maiden name and change later, or wait for marriage certificate?

[PsylentKnight 4]

My wife entered the US on a K1 visa. Per VJ's recommendation, we applied for her SSN two weeks after her entry

We applied online with her maiden name and made the soonest appointment available to present her identification documents at a SSA office

We got married yesterday and the SSA appointment is this week. She wants to change her name

 

Our marriage certificate (which I believe is required at the SSA office to change one's name) is coming in the mail, but I think it will be a week or two. Should we just continue with the SSN process with her maiden name and then change it later? Or should we reschedule our appointment for later so we can take our marriage certificate

[Crazy Cat 45,531]

You'll have to have marriage certificate or EAD/Green Card to change her name on SS Card.

Another option is for her to keep her maiden name until naturalization.....Many people do that.

 

Edited Sunday at 03:01 PM by Crazy Cat

[PsylentKnight 4]

Quote

Another option is for her to keep her maiden name until naturalization.....Many people do that.

 

Why do people that? Does it make things easier for the AOS/naturalization?

[Edward and Jaycel 2,247]

Or you can do what we did - When you file the AOS, file it in your wife's new married name. When you do that, if you file for an EAD in the married name, the EAD card will come in her married name and if you check the box saying you want a new SS card (AND if they have resumed the EBE program, which they were supposed to) SSA will send a new card in her married name. If they don't, then just make another appointment at that time with SSA to have it changed. If you do this for the I-485 and the EAD then the Green Card will also come in her married name. We did this and it was all very easy to change Jaycel's name to her married name. Next week we go to the Philippine consulate to change her Philippine passport to her married name

[Crazy Cat 45,531]

21 hours ago, PsylentKnight said:

 

Why do people that? Does it make things easier for the AOS/naturalization?

For us, it made things easier completely through the entire process.  No need for wife to change passport, legal documents, etc in home country or here.

Edited Monday at 01:16 PM by Crazy Cat

[TBoneTX 48,187]

Thread is moved from the K-1 Process forum to the Social Security Numbers subforum -- OP is past the former stage.

[mam521 2,708]

21 hours ago, PsylentKnight said:

 

Why do people that? Does it make things easier for the AOS/naturalization?

Changing one's name is actually rather involved, especially when it's in 2 countries.  If your partner changes their name now, they need to change their name in their home country first so they can get a new passport to continue the immigration journey in the US.  From there, it will be changing all documentation in the US and remember, everything up until now that has been filed with USCIS has been in your partner's maiden name.  

 

I see Switzerland as your partner's home country.  From what I can see online, have you registered your marriage with the Swiss Registry?  This is important to do, irrespective of name change.  From there, if a name change is desired, it has to take place in the civil registry before any new documentation, like a passport, can be obtained.  

Edited Monday at 01:27 PM by mam521

[Edward and Jaycel 2,247]

32 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Changing one's name is actually rather involved, especially when it's in 2 countries.

 

32 minutes ago, mam521 said:

From what I can see online, have you registered your marriage with the Swiss Registry?  This is important to do, irrespective of name change.  From there, if a name change is desired, it has to take place in the civil registry before any new documentation, like a passport, can be obtained.  

 

We had to do this with the Civil Division of the Philippine Consulate and then wait to get the official "Report of Marriage" signed and sealed and returned to us before we could get an appointment to change Jaycel's passport at the consulate - Good that you pointed this out and I should have mentioned it in my post  

[mam521 2,708]

19 minutes ago, Edward and Jaycel said:

We had to do this with the Civil Division of the Philippine Consulate and then wait to get the official "Report of Marriage" signed and sealed and returned to us before we could get an appointment to change Jaycel's passport at the consulate - Good that you pointed this out and I should have mentioned it in my post  

How long did that take for you guys?  Simply curious as I'd imagine the Civil Division is a busy place! 

 

In the OP's case, they may not even be able to change the spousal name because it looks like you have to preemptively decide you're going to change your name before marriage in Switzerland.  Maybe its different for international marriages, but I dunno.   

[Edward and Jaycel 2,247]

Just now, mam521 said:

How long did that take for you guys?  Simply curious as I'd imagine the Civil Division is a busy place! 

 

The consulate part was actually pretty quick. We had the signed and sealed RoM back in our hands about 12 days after they received it. (You just have to make sure you send the packet with the evidence exactly as the instructions on their website states. And you can't use the instructions from any of the other consulates because in true Philippine fashion, they are different from consulate to consulate ) After that, the consulate sends it to the Dept. of Foreign Affairs in Manila to be registered with the Philippine Statistics Authority, after which we could order the official PSA certified copy. That took 8 months LOL While waiting on that, we could use the copy from the consulate to change her passport ONLY at that consulate. Once we got the PSA copy, we could make an appointment at any consulate or the embassy in Washington.