Changing name when married before or after change of status / Green Card application

May_P79

New Member
Hi there,
I am currently in the US on an E3 temporary visa (valid until May 2020) however met, fell in love and am now engaged to an American citizen. We are about to apply for a marriage license and get married in 2 months and figured it would be easier to simply apply for a change of status and green card after we were married.

I would also like to change my name legally when we get married however I am concerned about whether applying for the marriage license with my married name now will over complicate the change of status and/or green card process or perhaps be an issue whilst on my E3 until my permit to work is processed? I travel a lot for work so will likely be in and out of the country a few times between applying for the marriage license, getting married and applying for the Green Card and Change of Status documentation. We are planning to time the Green Card application strategically for when I will not have to travel for a few months until the work/travel permit has been issued...

It looks particularly complicated/time consuming/expensive to try to change names after getting married if it is not on the original marriage license and certificate so am not sure what the best course of action is or if I should just not change my name at all!

Not sure how common this particular situation is so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
Top