Names merged on I-94

B

Barq

New Member
Hi, excuse me if this is the wrong forum but I really didn't know where to post this. So I got my TN at Peace Bridge a week ago, but I noticed that on my I-94, the "First (Given) Name" field contained both my first and middle names. When I asked the officer about it, he told me that was simply how the machine read it and said I shouldn't worry about it.

After digging around online it seems the issue comes down to that a Canadian passport does not distinguish between first and middle names, and so everything simply gets lumped under "Given names", which is probably why the machine read it as such. This is frustrating because I was told when applying for SSN I must use my name exactly as displayed on my I-94, which means that now I'll have inherited a second first name! Since all the databases are linked, does this mean I'll be forced to use this merged name on all official documents in the US from now on? That is going to be a real pain!!

I'm actually surprised I haven't found any threads on this because I'd imagine this would be a very common issue. Is there anything I can do about this?? Thanks in advance.
 
Told by whom that your name must match?


Your SSN will be in your 'correct name' because that is what you will ask for at the SSA. They will look for your I-94 number to determine status.

You are worrying unnecessarily.
 
Thanks for the quick response, I sent you a PM so I won't bother repeating the contents here, but I did think of something else:

On the AR-11 form for change of address, should I stick to using "John Doe" as my first name and leave the middle name blank (this is what's displayed on the I-94), or is it ok to put "John" as first name and "Doe" as middle name?
 
You should leave the middle name and in the first name itself you write "John Doe"!!

In your passport how it was written?? :D
 
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documents, ppthoot

My passport simply lists

Given names: John Doe
Surname: Smith

And that's exactly the problem -- no clear distinction between first and middle.

I don't want to write "John Doe" in first name because Doe isn't part of my legal first name, but that's they have on the I-94, and I assume in their records as well. This is maddening!
 
Your PM stated that SSN might be "delayed". So what? You will still be working. Either make the fight now or live with it.
 
UPDATE:

When I went to apply for my SSN the second week of November, I explained my situation to the guy handling my application. He was very patient and helpful, and even said he's seen this a few times before, but unfortunately he didn't have the authority to change it himself. He told me he'll add my "true name" in the "Other names used" field, and will add a note to my file regarding the name issue. He said if I really wanted to I could speak to CBP, but based on his personal experience not much will come out of that. I left feeling a bit disappointed, but the guy did everything he could so I was grateful for that.

Fast forward to Dec 28. I went to the DMV in San Mateo to apply for my California license. I used the compounded first+middle name on my application, and explained to the guy my situation. He said hold on let's check first, and lo and behold, my first and middle names were no longer stringed together! He even made me write my actual middle name in the middle name field.

If I'm not mistaken, the DMV verifies the SSN using the SAVE database. I'm not sure how much authority SSA has to modify what's in there, but apparently the message got through to someone in charge, and they actually bothered to do something about it.

I admit I got very lucky to have run into such helpful people who sorted this out for me. I guess moral of the story is: don't waste time with CBP/USCIS, raise the issue when applying for SSN and very nicely explain the issue to the person handling your application, then hope for the best.
 
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