docchanka

Hello,

Has anybody heard about it? Has anyone tried it? Does it work? I am asking because I wonder how important it actually is to have the passport. I will be going back home and coming back with a passport that has my new name while the green card will still have the old one. How much will the difference bother immigration? I will have my old passport (invalidated) with the same name as on the GC but who knows what they may come up with... So, here is the quote:

If you are a green card holder and you do not stay outside the U.S. for 1 year or more you should have either your green card (INS Form I-551, or your returning resident visa to re-enter the United States. You are not required to present your unexpired passport, however, it is not a bad idea to carry it with you.

This is an answer to question no 1 listed here (you can find a lot of information there):

http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/ph...swers.search_nl

Thanks for your help.

I would suggest using her married name (if she wants to change it) - I have not done it applying for the green card and now it might turn into a major pain as I need to change the passport and use my married name there but having my green card show my maiden name. I guess it is easier the other way around - more natural and obvious. The only problem is that they might request the name on the SSN application to be the same as on her IDs (Polish), then you'll know what to do. You'd be better off asking on the spot.

I think that the two documents you mention will be enough. The new Polish ID (which she should have by now) does have explanations in English as well.

Thanks so much!

I understand the marriage certificate with my name change should be in English, because it isn't

Thanks again!

I know that many women travel with a passport that has their maiden name on it and a green card with new name (some consider it natural). My question is: can you travel the other way around – with a passport with new name and card with old name?

Here is what happened: When we applied for a green card, I submitted my maiden name (silly!) on the application so I now have both documents with my maiden name. I am going to apply for a new passport in my home country now and in less than a year we have to apply for the permanent green card and then change my name on it. I don’t have to pick the passport up as soon as it is ready, I can let it sit there until necessary so that they do not invalidate it but:

- should I pick it up (and invalidate the old one) because it is safe (is it? that is my question) to have the new name in the passport and old on the green card, or

- shouldn’t I pick it up (and invalidate it) because it is not safe to travel back to the US that way, or:

- it doesn’t matter because I can travel with both passports (old invalidated) with two different names and green card with my maiden name (until I get the new card)?

Sorry if it is confusing.

Thanks!

Hello, does anyone know how long does it take in reality for a spouse of a Permanent Resident to obtain her GC? Would she get her advance parole and work authorization while she is awaiting her GC? She is already here on her student visa. What option would be better for them - file now while he is still a GC holder, file for his citizenship (he can already do it) and speed up the process by reporting that he became a US citizen? OR just wait until he gets his citizenship and then file for her? How long does it take to obtain citizenship from the time of filing? Lots of questions, I know...

Thanks for any answers...

Thanks! That was smart.

For some reason we thought there should be my maiden name on AOS application, not the new one - and we definitely did not think of the pain we'd have to go through to change my last name. I guess we've learnt our lesson.

Unfortunately, the name on the cert. is my maiden name.

Yeah, I could do it when lifting conditions or, since we are planning a ceremony back in Poland, I will do it after it. Apparently in Poland I have do register the church marriage at a civil institution and declare there what name I want to have. I will have a document from them confirming the change so if I get a sworn translation, I should be ok, right? I would send it as an evidence with the I-90 application. But I still do not know what the appointment is all about...

Thank you for your help and search that you've done for me. I really appreciate it.

Has anyone changed the girl's last name after the cond. GC was issued? Anyone in Florida? How did you do it?

I know that you have to file for it but the USCIS website also says that I would have to bring a proof (some legal document) that the name was changed to a one-person appointment! has anyone heard of it? Has anyone done it?

Thanks for all the answers

or... you can get a co-sponsor and attach the extra documents.

as for the bank statements... I do not know if they help. If they are your shared bank accounts, that would help (evidence of living together and sharing your property).

Good luck!

Thanks!

Question: when you guys were getting married, what name did she put on the marriage licence form and what name was printed out on the marriage certificate? we were told to put my maiden name. and so in all the paperwork for AOS and consequently on the GC there is my maiden name. I asked the original question wondering what will happen when I change my name on the GC. SO, at which point was her changed name written for the first time?

It looks like we should have written the new name everywhere because if I want to change my last name, I have to file for it.

I found the following on the USCIS website:

Note: If you are filing because your biographic data (Name, Date of Birth, etc. ) has been legally changed, then you must bring one of the following to your in-person appearance appointment at the Application Support Center :

• the original or certified copy of a court order making the legal change; or

• the marriage certificate reflecting the new name;

To replace a card because of a change in any other biographic data, you must bring copies of documentation to prove that the new data is correct.

They mentiong the marriage cert. Is is supposed to show my husband's name or my name as changed there (and it isn't)?

What kind of appointment are they talking about? has anyone done it? Don't they just change the name on the paper and send you a new card??? It's becoming more complicated than I thought!

Thanks for all the answers.

What exactly is the problem?

1. If not having original transcirpts from IRA is a problem that it isn't - you send copies of your W-2 forms and before the interview, you send a request to IRA to send you transcripts which you take to the interview (and from what I remember, they don't want to keep the original, if they even looked at it)

2. If you didn't work, you have to get someone, whom you could show as her sponsor (parents?) and you will need this person's tax returns. Of course, you cannot sposnor anyone if you do not have your income.

3. If you didn't file for tax return, then you should do it ASAP.

4. If there is yet another possibility, let me know if you wish so

They are required and they are very clearly listed as documents necessary for the interview and before, for AOS application.

As for the lawyer - we did everything ourselves although it took about 2 weeks. You need to be very careful and read instructions that proceed the application itself (which you download from the internet).

Hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions.

Good luck

Sorry, I know it's late but maybe I still have time, I just noticed the post:

There are two options:

1. she can overstay the visa, get married soon and apply for AOS. supposedly the overstaying should not matter since she has entered the country legally, that is on a visa. i am a permanent resident but my husband, a USC, says he read comments by immigration lawyers who said that is the case and an overstay should not impact their application as long as you enter the US legally.

2.get married before the 30th and file for AOS, preferably also before the 30th.

I personally would choose the second option.

Good luck and let me know if I can help in any way.

Thanks sooooooooooo much!!! I did not know that.... I didn't even know it was a common question... I guess you live and you learn

I am cosidering the same scenario and I am in a similar situation (although I am not pregnant ). My parents will probably just have to apply for a tourist visa and show that there is something they will go back to. When I was coming to the US as a visitor on a tourist visa, I did not have any official invitations, just an email from my friend that I will stay at his place and he will cover my expanses here. I also brought a bunch of documents that showed I have my own money and I am not leaving the country to immigrate because I am poor. Also, I brought a letter for my employer that I have a full time job for an unlimited period of time.

I am not sure based on what they give some people a 1 year visa (me) and a 10 year visa to some others (my sister). Maybe when you give them a definite time when you want to go, as I did, they give you a visa for just one year. My sister did not define in her application when she wanted to go and got one for 10 years (never used it ). It is just my guess though.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.

Trzymaj sie

Has anyone changed their name on the green card and was able to enter the US with the new card and a passport with the old name? do these two documents have to have the same name? I am thinking - YES - but that means there is a painful procedure ahead of me. If so, the only way of having the name in my passport changed is to apply for a new passport in the US, that means, I cannot leave anywhere for up to 4 months because that is how long it takes. Anybody?

So what visa do the parents have to apply for? I have a conditional green card - I know I cannot file for them yet so what visa do they need to come here?

One more thing: has anyone changed their name on the green card and was able to enter the US with the new card and a passport with the old name? do these two documents have to have the same name?

Thanks a bunch!

Thank you Kez,

you say that

Parents are classed as immidiate relatives and a visa is available to them immidiatley - you mean after I become a citizen, right?

How can they travel here when I am still a resident? On a tourist visa?

Thanks for all you answers.

Is it really true that as a Conditional or Permanent Green Card Holder I cannot apply for an immigrant visa for my parents and sister? Only US citizens can do it?

Thank you all! Congrats to those who had won the battle and crossing my fingers for and wishing all the best to those who are still fighting: "May the Force Be With You!"

Congratulations and thank you for congrats! Is the first permanent card after the conditional one always for 10 years only and then you have to renew it?

Right, they don't like it very much if you do not live together. I know it may be the harder option but since you are safe with F1 and have no limitations in terms of traveling etc. (unless you need a job), I would file for AOS later on. Wait until you move in together, open a shared bank account and provide this proof when sending your application together with some letters from friends or family confirming your relationship. You can collect more and more significant evidence while your application is pending and bring it with you to the interview - you do not have to mail everything at once. Try to start working on things that you share even now (although you do not live together) - they will show that despite being in different places, you HAVE BEEN married for a certain period of time and you've shared things.

If you want to file for AOS now, try to collect evidence that you are together - do you get your health insurance from your university or his company is covering you? Do you have a car insurance that is for both of your names? Do you have a joint credit card account? Try to think of those things that can show you are married.

Also, if you decide to file now, do not lie about the address.

Good luck!

They did not ask any questions to my husband, only me but he had to be present at the interview. From what I learnt from this website, anything is possible - they will or will not ask questions to your spouse. That is why you have to be prepared for anyting. Good luck!

We got GC on Friday, Aug. 31 after the interview which took place on Aug. 20, 2007!

I can't remember though how to add it to my timeline

I keep my fingers crossed for all of you. Good luck!

one more thing - you don't have to have all of this when filing your application, just some of them are enough. Have as many as possible while you interview though. At the time of filing, we had a shared checking account, credit card and car lease. For the interview we brought all of the above plus a newly opened savings account, appartment lease and shared car insurance.

Hope this helps.

Also, you can set up a shared bank account (both savings and checking) or a credit card account (make sure that you bring originals and copies of a couple of montly bank statements where there are both of your names or a letter to both of you that you get from your bank after opening an account with them with both names), he can add you to your house/appartment lease, both of your names can be on the car insurance.

Is your health insurance covered by his work place? If yes, that is fine too, have an evidence that his work place covers both of you. Another thing: You can change his name to yours on some of your utility bills (as said before). If you have pets, you can try to get bills from the vet for both of your names.

If there is any kind of corespondence coming to you and him even separately, but both show the same address, that is good too (good but when combined with any of the above).

As it was said before, it doesn't matter that you are a student and do not have an income. The idea is that you have to show that you live together, not that both of you make money/pay here. As you can see there are multiple ways of providing the necessary evidence but definitely photos are not enough. The IO often, if not always, as for the "hard" proof.

Good luck!