change surname right away after marriage? or wait til citizenship to change firstname

[wolfiepie]

Hi! I am fairly new here! My US fiance and I have filed for the k1 visa (we got our NOA last week).

So I've been planning to change my first name since I was young because it's way too similar to my mother's and it is weirdly spelled --with an extra "h"-- making people misspelling it my entire life. (example: "Jhane", want to get rid of the 'h' but don't want to be Jane because my mom's name is Jane, can I choose Janet? or Janice?)

TL;DR:
-I want to use my husband's surname after marriage.
-I want to change my first name eventually.


I heard it's fairly difficult and a hassle process to change your surname after marriage while filing for an AOS, GC, Employment cards (?).

I've read it's FREE to change name legally when you apply for citizenship when it (the oath/swearing ceremony) is presided over by a judge, so I'm planning to change my name until then.

***What steps should I follow?
***Should I change my surname after marriage before applying for AOS? (Somebody told me you will have a better chance of "proving" your bona fide relationship when you change your surname) or is it way easier to do it after I get my conditional GC?
***Or is it better to just change my first name and surname during the citizenship process? and use my maiden name until then

Here is my plan:
1.)Get Social Security
2.) Get Marriage License
3.) Get Married and marriage certificate
4.) change SS surname
5.) apply for Driver's License/bank accounts/etc
6.) apply for AOS (<--do you think this is the best time to do it or should I apply for AOS before anything else after getting married)
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7.) after 5 years, apply for a US Citizenship
8.) Change first name and hopefully it gets approved
9.) Get a passport with my shiny, brand-new name!!
10.) Change EVERY SINGLE DOCUMENT (Social Security, Marriage Certificate?, Driver's License, birth certificate*)
*IDK if necessary
11.)I don't think my birth certificate would be changed, so do I have to carry a bunch of the citizenship certificates and legal change of name document?

please advise me on which route is the best to go to.

*also would it affect me negatively if I petitioned to have my legal name changed twice? (Social security) (married legal name and change of first name).


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Sorry for bombarding you with questions, I know nothing about the k1 process. Me and my fiance, whom I met online while playing an online game, just got engaged over a month ago and both know nothing about this VISA process thing. We both haven't been married, no kids. He's a US born citizen and I'm from the Philippines. (22M and 24F).



THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME!!

[ember]

There are differing views on what is better/easier.

Personally (and take this with a grain of salt because I did not change my name when I married my husband), I would change the surname now if you want and then wait for citizenship to change your first name.

The reasoning is that, when you get married in the US, it is quite simple to change your surname. It is very common and easy. What takes a bit longer is the other documents, like driver's license, passport, etc. However, there are services that can help you with that if you want to pay for them.

For the AOS, if you change your surname, you would submit the marriage certificate with the change of name, and your new documents with your married name. It is obviously a bit more straightforward if you want until after you get the GC, but I understand that many people do not want to wait that long, and I think USCIS can figure it out

Since I was adopted, I had a change of name as well when I petitioned for my husband. They asked about it very briefly in the interview, but that was it. No other issues.

Ultimately it depends on your own timeline. If you want to file immediately, wait. If you can wait a month or however long it takes to get new documents (for example, a passport from your country), and you want to have the new name first, change it.

You can also start using your husband's name socially while your legal name remains the same.

[wolfiepie]

There are differing views on what is better/easier.

Personally (and take this with a grain of salt because I did not change my name when I married my husband), I would change the surname now if you want and then wait for citizenship to change your first name.

The reasoning is that, when you get married in the US, it is quite simple to change your surname. It is very common and easy. What takes a bit longer is the other documents, like driver's license, passport, etc. However, there are services that can help you with that if you want to pay for them.

For the AOS, if you change your surname, you would submit the marriage certificate with the change of name, and your new documents with your married name. It is obviously a bit more straightforward if you want until after you get the GC, but I understand that many people do not want to wait that long, and I think USCIS can figure it out

Since I was adopted, I had a change of name as well when I petitioned for my husband. They asked about it very briefly in the interview, but that was it. No other issues.

Ultimately it depends on your own timeline. If you want to file immediately, wait. If you can wait a month or however long it takes to get new documents (for example, a passport from your country), and you want to have the new name first, change it.

You can also start using your husband's name socially while your legal name remains the same.

thanks so much! I think what you're suggesting is the best way to go. I guess I'll have to wait til the citizenship process to do it.