Seven

I am sorry that was the situation. Also, please notice that there are special situations that prevent certain things. Most people can apply by mail and online. Also, I am just talking about a simple 10 year card renewal (I-90 for a 10 yr card renewal). I understand people with certain special circumstances can be irritated about their situation and case. By the way a lawyer told me not to apply online because it would take longer. So you know. There are stories of positive outcomes out there so just sharing one. To be fair, USCIS also sends an automatic notice of action letter letter with a two year extension on your expired green card. Wish you the best.

Do you process all the cases? I am trying to share my experience but let’s continue focusing on the negative. Again, I am not special. The norm? Maybe not. Maybe average wait a year, I don’t know, there are many variables. I don’t dare to say that everyone will have my experience but that they CAN. Obviously, not impossible.

Next (big) step would be that immigration processes were free. Yay!

I am not saying those do not exist. However, not everyone who files posts in this forum.

I am talking about what people say, stories they tell that make it look all cases are a nightmare. I am also talking about news to where it was said that it is crazy what immigration is doing to LPRs making them wait forever just to print a green card. I am also talking about the false advertisement and push that in these times it is better (if we only factor processing time) to do the N-400 than renewing a green card. That is all I am talking about. I understand that USCIS puts all cases from all people of all walks in life to do an estimate. It can be people who committed a crime or other irregularities that make their case longer and skew the estimation numbers. All I wanted is to share my experience to show not all cases are a nightmare. I have not won a Nobel prize, I am not in the military, I have done nothing special to get my case expedited. It just happened that way. I filed online, Potomac. No issues, it can happen.

Yay! think it there are many out there and it is great! I just thought to share because usually what’s heard the most are the bad experiences and for someone just wanting to find info and guidance it can all be very demotivating

To all my I-90 renewal of green card filers (10 yr renewal). If you are doubting for any reason between N-400 or GC and see the greencard wait time is bigger than the N-400, don’t let yourself be fooled by those estimated times. At this moment, I just felt like I wanted to do things simple and renew my GC so I filed March 20. March 22 I got a notification saying it has been approved and card has been sent. Today (March 26), I received my new greencard in the mail. Total time from filing to receiving the card 6 days. The USCiS website says 20 months. Just your reminder that each case is different so if you have nothing outstanding, 20 months won’t necessarily be your wait time.

It is the law as I said above. Not allowed, never changes. Never. Complicated things that can be done are: first name for transgender people. Change the paternal or maternal last name if just say, one of your parents murdered the other and now you don’t want to carry one of their last names. In that case, you would carry both of your other parent. I have no NIE or residencia. I am Spanish born and raised. There are different laws in every country. In not all countries one can change their names like they change their underwear 🤷🏻‍♀️

I guess that what’s the whole point of dual citizenship, you know? Then it’s better to never get the US citizenship and use the more powerful passport (Spanish one in this case)

People are not allowed to change their names. Marriage is not a valid legal reason for name change. You are born and die with your name.

Couldn’t you have presented your Canadian at check in the US (having booked a round trip to India) then get your US passport out only to enter the US in customs? The US law doesn’t prohibit having other passports and doesn’t obligate the citizens to exit the country with it. They just care you enter as a man American. Therefore, for you, with the matching name, only have to think of you want to enter a country as a Canadian or a U.S. citizen.

My question was directed to any country that the Spanish passport has an advantage over the US passport, that being the need for a visa or any other restriction the world decides to make up.

Someone told me that I could book the flight with the Spanish passport name to a country such as Vietnam which requires no visa for Spanish passports. Then enter Vietnam with the Spanish one, exit Vietnam with the Spanish one and just take my American passport in US customs. What got me thinking is that when traveling with a GC with a different name than my Spanish passport to Spain, most of the time the airline people want me to check in using their kiosk. I tell them it won't work. They insist. Kiosk asks me if I have a US issued document, I say yes, names mismatch, need to go to the counter. Agent calls supervisor because according to her, I cannot fly with different names. Supervisor tells agent that I entered the name in my passport and any other issues are immigration's job, not hers. Then I am free to go on with my day. LOL. Sorry for the rant

Thank you for your answer. It is much appreciated. The whole name mess that I got into when immigration happened (over a decade ago) was not entirely my decision either. I was very young too and uninformed to know how bad things got messed up. USCIS was not the most collaborative either. Long story. I guess Spanish names are not the most understood in the USA overall... Anyhow, my Spanish passport "opens more doors" than the US passport does. So just wondering how things could be done. The reason I am always going to keep my Spanish passport is because that's who I am, because all my family is in Spain, and because one never knows where life will bring. If (God forbid) a truck was to hit my husband tomorrow and kill him then I would have to think long and hard if I want to stay in a country where I absolutely have no one. Or we can make it both to our 90s and just leave this earth then. Who knows. Can't obsess about the what ifs...

The law of the passport of origin prohibits any name changes

I am a bit confused: why carry on only? Then maybe with the A and B it got confused but for example the Spanish passport would allow me to go just say Vietnam without a visa. The American needs a visa to go to Vietnam. So how that’d be? What name on the tickets? Would the airline in the US have a problem that the US passport is in another name? I thought all countries had a border security where you show the passport. I got really lost at the multiple round trips bookings for so many countries. Sorry !

Hi everyone. Just curious about something. Just say US passport (passport A) has a different name than the passport of origin (passport B). A visa is required with passport A but not with passport B so how to travel to that other country using passport B without running into issues, not being let on the plane etc because the passport A has a different name? Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone, Hope you are well. I do not know why I keep calling the USCIS phone number because they are completely useless. Two agents told me I cannot file for N-400 without filing for I-90 if my green card expires in less than 6 months. However, I had to inform now two agents that there is a new policy. They are completely unaware of this. My interpretation is that as of December 12, 2022 it doesn't matter when you file the N-400 (before or after the 6 month expiration date mark on the GC), you will receive a two years extension on your green card regardless. Anyone who interprets this information differently? https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-updates-policy-to-automatically-extend-green-cards-for-naturalization-applicants Thanks

Good to hear a story where no one has messed the first surname and taken it as a middle name. Thanks for sharing

Oh I see. It seems to me that if it was allowed in the surname at the SSN in your state somewhere was confused as the middle name and if it was not corrected then perhaps is wrongly listed as if it was a middle name when in reality is not. Sorry that happened. People can’t really understand sometimes seems like.

Why is that?

I don’t understand why you said that without a hyphen it may not legally be considered a surname. If in the citizenship and SSN that’s what it shows as legal surname, the double barreled last name, that’s the legal surname so who has the authority to consider it not legal? I am confused. Sorry if I misunderstood what you wrote

I had no interview, just received the green card in the mail. I guess it was the only easy thing that happened to me in my immigration journey

Hello everyone! After 12 years living in the USA I want my name to be corrected for what it actually is in my Spanish passport and birth certificate because well, that's who I am. Living in the USA one can put whatever name they want and change it whenever. However, that it is legal and permitted does not mean that all names are treated with respect or understanding because they are another format or whatever. In my country of origin (Spain) middle names do not exist so I actually have a compound first name for example Ana Maria and a compound last name (one from my dad, one from my mum): for example Janer Perelló. None of my names have a hyphen, just a space. So I am going to talk about stuff using that fictitious example name: Ana Maria Janer Perelló. When asking some people about their experience some told me that: 1. In the USA even if you write everything right, most places/people will change your name to be Ana Perelló, ignoring anything in between. These people decided to write their name in several places in many different ways given their frustration. Ana Janer, Ana-Maria Janer-Perelló, etc. But would not that cause more issues? Then they said that it was not really a problem but decided to give their children a hyphenated surname or just one surname because ¨poor guys.¨Now, if it was not a problem to you, why did you do it different for your children? Others, decided to follow their same format, spaces, no hyphens for their children. 2. In the USA they do not understand the two last names or two first names so they will want to put everything in between as your middle name and you will have serious issues even if you write it right and will have to call to many places to attempt to get things fixed. Even then, some places will not want to fix it. 3. In the USA they do not understand the two last names/two first names so it is best to put the hyphen. These people hyphenated their first name Ana-Maria and last name Janer-Perelló to decrease the chances that what falls in between is considered a middle name. However, they still say that it can be a pain and that it is a battle to have to clarify what belongs to what. So here are my thoughts. I do not understand why someone who specifically writes two words on the first name field, leaves blank the middle name, and puts two words in the last name field has to go through any grief of others not following what they entered so now other people or agencies have the right to change others legal name? just because they want to or do not understand the format? Also, why people have to change their name adding a hyphen because apparently others do not want to understand? Is not it a country of freedom and immigrants? At this point I am so confused thinking that if I correct my name the way it is in my country of origin with the format explained above I will live a life of constant misunderstandings and bureaucratic hell. Is it really that bad? What are your experiences? Thank you in advance for your time!

Hello everyone! I am sure this question has been asked before but here it goes. I came to the USA 12 years ago under a K-1 visa and once married did my I-485 (AOS). I was granted a 10 year green card and it is time to renew so here are my questions: Item Number 1. Location where you applied for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status. List the location of the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office where you filed your application for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status. I sent my application to the Chicago lockbox, received a receipt notice with MSC in it (I researched this is the Missouri Service Center which is now called the National Benefits Center), then it was transferred to the California Service Center. So what do I put here? Chicago? MSC? NBC? Item Number 2. Location where your immigrant visa was issued or USCIS office where you were granted adjustment of status. List the location of the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office where you were issued an immigrant visa or granted lawful permanent resident status. Again, my application was transferred to California Service Center. I had no interview or any other notice. Received my green card in the mail and the card number starts with WAC. Soooo do I put here California Service Center? Thank you for your time and help. I called for months the USCIS and the representatives know nothing. Today one raised his voice on the phone to me because I had questions about the green card renewal and the citizenship and he considered I should not be asking questions about the green card renewal if I am eligible for the N400 but then he did not want to answer those questions either.