Question regarding Middle Name

L

liker

Registered Users (C)
Here is an interesting question which unfortunately I just noticed and literarily just now. I have middle name listed on my passport from my country, some credit cards, driving license, but when I applied my GC I managed to miss the middle name and its been like that since. When I applied for Naturalization, it said name as in your green card and I put it without middle name. During interview IO asked me whether you want to change your name and I said NO, as I didnt want to. But since my driving license is up for renewal in 2 weeks, I noticed I have a middle initial on that. Now what is this going to screw up? What choices do I have, as I know my passport will have same name as on my Naturalization certificate. Do people really care? I hope this not treated as a fraud. I seems to be making lot of idiotic things lately. Help please.
 
The DMV won't really care about this. Some embassies, where you might be applying for visas, might. Either way, you can start getting things issued without your middle name and eventually it won't be official anymore.
 
liker said:
When I applied for Naturalization, it said name as in your green card and I put it without middle name.
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On page 1 of the N-400, there are multiple questions about your name: (A) your current legal name, (B) the name as displayed on your green card, and (C) other names used.

You should have mentioned your middle name in (A) or (C). Did you? Is your middle name on your birth certificate? Have you already taken the oath and received your naturalization certificate?
 
Jackolantern said:
On page 1 of the N-400, there are multiple questions about your name: (A) your current legal name, (B) the name as displayed on your green card, and (C) other names used.

You should have mentioned your middle name in (A) or (C). Did you? Is your middle name on your birth certificate? Have you already taken the oath and received your naturalization certificate?
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The Birth Certificate I have doesnt have my middle name. In India it is given that your fathers name is your middle name, so it automatically comes into picture.

No I have not taken the oath, its on July 13th.

This all came into picture because I was going to get enhanced Driving license from NY state and have to show Naturalization certificate when I realised the problem. If I take Passport card and passport, I guess I am ok. But then why even a Passport card, it may be just like once in blue moon I will be travelling to Canada anyway when I can take my Passport.

How much important is middle name really, shouldnt my First Name and Last Name be just OK, because thats how I am known really.
 
So, your US passport and naturalisation certificate both don't have your middle name? They'll go by that and probably remove your middle name from the enhanced DL, or they might offer to let you include it. Either way, you should probably have no issues.
 
liker said:
The Birth Certificate I have doesnt have my middle name. In India it is given that your fathers name is your middle name, so it automatically comes into picture.

No I have not taken the oath, its on July 13th.

This all came into picture because I was going to get enhanced Driving license from NY state and have to show Naturalization certificate when I realised the problem. If I take Passport card and passport, I guess I am ok. But then why even a Passport card, it may be just like once in blue moon I will be travelling to Canada anyway when I can take my Passport.

How much important is middle name really, shouldnt my First Name and Last Name be just OK, because thats how I am known really.
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If you plan on getting a PIO or OCI card after gaining US citizenship, good luck with the idiots working at Travisa.
 
speakamericano said:
There's many forums under OCI section that discuss this. Hopefully they have come up with a "stable" form for the name change discrepancy.
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Thanks speakamericano, I went thru them. So in short this is going to be a big hassel. Is there a way I can call USCIS and ask them if I can put middle name in my naturalization certificate, but that would be a big disaster. So when I apply for passport can I just put middle name in there, but then may not work either. Is the attached document in the other thread a valid thing to do? Oh man, why I keep on doing these things, I dont get it.
 
It's easier to just attach that "Name change printed template" that you see under the OCI section, the one you commented on and attach a notarized English copy of your birth certificate if you don't have a middle name. The way OCI system works:
If you have A B C name in your Indian passport as First Middle Last name and you have A C in US passport as First and last name, the Indian govt will recognize that as a name change and will ask you to provide stupid paperwork such as a court order for changing your name. Americans don't consider a middle name "drop" a name change, but Indian govt does. So it's best in your interest if you keep a copy of the template and send it to travisa along with your BC as a proof of name discrepancy.
 
liker said:
Thanks speakamericano, I went thru them. So in short this is going to be a big hassel. Is there a way I can call USCIS and ask them if I can put middle name in my naturalization certificate, but that would be a big disaster.
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As far as USCIS is concerned, your middle name is not part of your legal name. When there is an inconsistency in the names on your documents, they refer to the birth certificate as the "tiebreaker" (or marriage certificate or name change court order, if applicable). You can't get your middle name put on the naturalization certificate unless you ask for a name change.

But your middle name still should have been listed in the "other names used" section of the first page of the N-400, so they can do a proper background check. If they look in your file and see other documents with the middle name, and before the oath they realize you didn't mention the middle name on the application, they'll pull you out of the oath. If they discover the discrepancy after the oath, they could denaturalize you for that (although very unlikely if they don't have some other reason motivating them to deport you).
 
Jackolantern said:
As far as USCIS is concerned, your middle name is not part of your legal name. When there is an inconsistency in the names on your documents, they refer to the birth certificate as the "tiebreaker" (or marriage certificate or name change court order, if applicable). You can't get your middle name put on the naturalization certificate unless you ask for a name change.

But your middle name still should have been listed in the "other names used" section of the first page of the N-400, so they can do a proper background check. If they look in your file and see other documents with the middle name, and before the oath they realize you didn't mention the middle name on the application, they'll pull you out of the oath. If they discover the discrepancy after the oath, they could denaturalize you for that (although very unlikely if they don't have some other reason motivating them to deport you).
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I didn't list my middle name or shall I say the incorrect name on my naturalization application. It didn't seem to bother the IO at all. He saw my SS with the F M L name and my Green card with only F and L names. As long as the individual has only one name, he/she should be okay. It's a different story if the middle name is used as a last name. But I don't think they would denaturalize anyone just because they didn't write AKA name in the Other names used section.

But again it's easier to just fix the error on the Indian application if you plan on applying for OCI than adding your middle name to the US paperwork as it is not even on your birth certificate.
 
Thanks jackolantern and speakamericano.

Needless to say its freaking me out, why I did it. Well it has happened, so whats the solution. I am guessing, I will get my passport no issues. I will send the affidavit along with OCI application. Hope that will help. But there is another issue, my SSN has my F M L, my license has F middle initial and last name. My GC had only F L, now my naturalization cert will have F L, what jackolantern said is now bothering me is I havent done anything illegal but if I go that route of denaturalization, I will be a stateless person, as my Indian citizenship will be taken away and US will be gone too. Thats bothersome, so whats the right way to fix it, or just leave it as it is and pray that it will never happen?

My license is coming for renewal this month, so if I go to DMV and show them my naturalization cert, will they change the name and show the same to SSN people, will that change? But then I have not officially changed my name, its that I didnt use my middle name, I am known by my first and last name anyway. Oh man these legal complexities is killing me.
 
Don't worry, I had middle name on my SS card too and middle name on college applications, it's seriously not a big deal. Once it gets sorted out after naturalization, get the driver license updated with no middle name. You will have to get a new one issued.. in CA it's about 26 bucks. And the SSC you have to update it anyways after naturalization, they'll write the name that's on the NC.
 
You haven't done the oath yet, so you have time to correct it with an Infopass appointment. You can let them know that you forgot to write your middle name in the "Other names used" section of the N-400, and if you want you can also request a name change to get your middle name on the natz. certificate. Either action will delay your oath, but you'll have a longer delay and more hassle if they discover the name discrepancy before the oath and pull you out of the oath because of it.
 
speakamericano said:
Don't worry, I had middle name on my SS card too and middle name on college applications, it's seriously not a big deal.
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It is a big deal if the middle name was used on other documents but not mentioned anywhere on the N-400. People have had their oaths delayed because of it. They need to know all your names for the name check, including names that you've used although they aren't part of the your official legal name (hence the "other names used" section). The name check involves permutations of all your names including the middle --- without the middle name they would fail to search for matches on First Middle and Middle Last.
 
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Middle name is a person's own name. Sometimes it's used for religious purposes. People add their father's name as their middle name and don't officially use it on some of the legal papers. For example, there are people who write their dad's name on school documents, but not on their birth certificate. It's not necessary to include a name that's only on a school certificate. Besides a middle name cannot be used as a last name. A middle name is a "person's own name." Funny how you say it's a Big deal. but the IO who interviewed me and my brother didn't seem to care at all. Maybe the USCIS in your jurisdiction is one of its kind and can denaturalize or prevent oath individuals for not mentioning their middle names on an application.

I've nothing more to say beyond this. Someone else may use your advise.
Read the post by "bobsmyth" You have had the same discussion on this following forum and it's a waste of time to repeat the conversation again:
http://forums.immigration.com/showt...-mention-middle-name-on-the-N-400-application
 
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Jackolantern said:
It is a big deal if the middle name was used on other documents but not mentioned anywhere on the N-400. People have had their oaths delayed because of it. They need to know all your names for the name check, including names that you've used although they aren't part of the your official legal name (hence the "other names used" section). The name check involves permutations of all your names including the middle --- without the middle name they would fail to search for matches on First Middle and Middle Last.
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Since you seems to have a good knowledge, whats your advise? What should I do now?
 
You're freaking out for no reason. Having a middle name would not give the individual a different date of birth, alien number or change their parents' names. John Doe Smith would have the same date of birth as John Smith, and the parents would remain the same if both names are referring to the same individual. Gade murde ukhadne ho to you may go to USCIS office and have them dig through irrelevant paperwork just to provide the same results. Rest I leave upto Jack
 
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