Free US immigration self-help guides, example forms, community discussion, case tracking & estimated approval dates!

Hi everyone,

I m from Canada and got married in New York State. When we applied for the marriage license, I had the option to change both my surname and middle name. I chose to take my husband s last name and move my maiden name to a second middle name. So I went from Sarah Jane Doe to Sarah Jane Doe Smith.

All of our I-130 paperwork is under that name. I thought I d just update my documents once I got home while we wait on consular processing, but it turns out in my province you can only assume a new last name after marriage. To change a middle name, you need a full legal name change, which also alters your birth certificate to show the new name as if it were your birth name. That feels odd to me, since I wasn t born with my husband s last name, and I'm not sure if it would cause any problems. You do get a certificate of name change, but that would be the only record of my actual birth name.

If I don t go through with a legal name change in Canada, all my ID will stay in my maiden name (unless I assume only the last name, which still won't match our marriage certificate). My lawyer said I might be able to adjust my name at the consulate interview, but usually they only allow last name changes. Now I m not sure if I should try to change it in the US after I get my green card, just do the legal name change in Canada, or if there is any other option available. The legal name change process takes quite a while in my province, so I need to make a decision sooner rather than later.

I feel pretty overwhelmed and honestly a bit foolish. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? I d really love to go by Sarah Jane Doe Smith, but I m not sure what the smartest path forward is, or if I should just go ahead and do the legal name change.

Appreciate any advice or words of wisdom!

K1 Visa Lagos.

Our K1 Visa Document Review in Lagos is on October 14, 2025.

When do the actual Interview appointment occur after that?

I am Ghanaian and I have dated a US citizen long distance for 5 years although we had a break in between. We reconnected in 2024 and got married in April 2025 when she visited me in Ghana. I got the chance to visit her in the United States this September 2025 and we plan on staying together here. I am still in the United States on a valid non-immigrant visa and I want to know the best way to go about the immigration process and what I need to do to obtain my green card?

Hi everyone!

When I eligible to apply n-400 if I married 4 years, in January 2026 will be 3 years my green card, my husband citizen since January 2025 ?

Gpt sure me that I can do it , and that many cases was approved when the spouse was not supposed to be a citizen all 3 years , just he should be a citizen when I m applying n-400 and we should be still married . And that uscis use rules from institutions n-400 , not from Policy manual.

Is it true?

I'm currently filling out my online N-400 application and am not sure how to answer the "When did you move here?" question. I came to the US in late 2020 with a B2, adjusted status in 2021 which was approved in 2022. Ever since I came here, I stayed at and lived at my then-fianc -now-husband's house, so the same address ever since. Which date should I put in the "From" of the "When did you move here?" question - is it the the date I arrived in the US in 2020 with the B2, the date I got married, the date I filed for AOS, the date EAD was approved, or the date I-485 was approved?