SleepingRobot

Hi SleepingRobot, I looked at various original hospital US birth certificates in Google Images and often the field is just 'name of child' or 'given names and surname/lastname' so I guess they assume that people can figure out the middle name is the one in the middle!

I am going to leave things as they are until they cause a real issue. I can't foresee that since US documents use the same Given Name(s) format as the Canadian ones and the middle name field is rare. Americans don't face this issue only because they don't interact with the SAVE database.

My US visa also just says Given Name and has no specific field for Middle name... greencard will be the same.

You probably shouldn't update it in SAVE because then none of your documents have a middle name field and it will cause even more problems! The clerk was probably right in just saying to leave it as is since the modern Given Names field is not compatible with the Middle name field.

The only time it would be an issue is with SAVE checks and that's only if you insist on putting your name into 3 boxes instead of 2.

Yeah, that makes sense. It may be best to just leave it as is. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter, it's nice being able to hear from someone else in the same situation!

I have the same problem. Canadian docs just say Given Name(s) and this is what the SAVE database has - my first name is both my first and middle name (with a space between them). SSA said SAVE wouldn't match if they tried to put my middle name in the middle name box.

They said I could get a match and card if they just entered the data the way SAVE has it - first and middle in the first box. I said I didn't want that so they are sending my info to some center for human verification. SSA can only check to make sure the name makes sense but they can't update the SAVE database.

I'm guessing this is probably common for Canadians.

It shouldn't really make any real difference since it's just a semantic difference. I still would like to get it fixed if possible. I'm not sure what Canadian doc has middle name indicated - not my birth certificate or passport. I do have some cards with my complete name all together but nothing officially indicating a middle name.

I just looked up the green card and it also has Given Names and no middle name field. Having an official middle name won't make any difference on the card. The US passport also only has Given Names. Getting a middle name will thus probably have no effect on the green card or passport.

I think the problem is mostly that the SSA application form uses a outdated middle name field and it hopefully won't cause any big problems if there's a mismatch with the SAVE database. Like I said SSA can a run your info with your first and middle name in the first name box and get a SAVE match. As long as your docs match up with SAVE than you should be OK. Or you can insist on filling out the middle name box on the SSN card application and get your SSN app sent away for human verification.

Thanks to your post I won't visit USCIS since I don't have any doc with a middle name. I thought they might just update SAVE for me because obviously if I have a first and last name the one in the middle must be my middle name.

This is one of those times where it might be better to let it go. It might be worse to get a middle name field since none of your docs with Given Names will match the SAVE database. You'd be making the fix for one quirk of SSA.

Yeah, that sounds like our situation exactly. I'm guessing you're correct that a lot of Canadians face this issue, and I agree that the one in the middle should be considered the middle name. At the very least, if they're going to be taking a random guess either way, you'd think the applicant's word as to what their name is should override their rule of thumb.

I'd also agree that it doesn't sound like there's much merit in having the SSA update their records if it's still wrong in SAVE. In fact, the SSA clerk we spoke to specifically said we should try fixing it with the DHS first, then come back to the SSA to have their records updated if we wanted to pursue it further (we just had the SSN issued after he looked her up with the first and middle combined). Our biggest concern was that he also suggested we use her name how it's stored in SAVE (incorrectly) for anything else important we fill out later in life, such as filing income tax or applying for a mortgage, etc. Still not too big of an issue I guess, but a little annoying.

What's funny is that even looking through all of my US citizen documents, my birth certificate seems to be the only one that explicitly shows middle name as a separate field. We may end up just letting it go as you suggest, although I think I'll still place a call to the Canadian Vital Statistics office to ask if they're aware of any government piece of paper or ID at all that might list middle name separately. I'll be sure to post back if so, although I don't have high hopes.

Well you could visit a CBP office and have them correct the save database. Then wait for your ROC to change your name on the green card.

You can still get your married name on things with your marriage certificate, even if the green card is different

My wife is in a similar situation. SSA informed us that DHS combined her middle name with her first name, and left her middle name blank.

Was hoping to get it fixed before her green card came in (her POE was Jan 24, but still no card in the mail).

USCIS told us that we had to show some sort of Canadian Government document clearly showing First and Middle before they'd change it for us.

Unfortunately, all of her documents (ID card, SIN card, Passport, Birth Cert, Marriage Cert) just say "Given Names" and run the first and middle names together.

Do you think we'd have better luck going through a CBP office instead of USCIS?