LaGrange, GA Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

In the marriage-based adjustment of status application process there is no form by which a wife adopts her husband's last name as her own, and a formal name change application through civil courts is unnecessary too. Generally a foreign national wife simply may begin using her husband's last name as her own, may identify his last name as her last name in the application process, and also show that she previously was known by her pre-marriage name. Proper identification of names can be quite important in the application process, but that is just one of many details that can be far more complicated than it might seem just by reading the application forms, the application instructions, the Immigration and Nationality statute, the regulations and the USCIS's website. It would be wise for you and your husband to consult with an immigration attorney who, after learning all of the relevant information, could advise about eligibilities, options and strategies to attain your goals, and who then could offer legal representation in the often complex application process.

As you can see, questions on forms related to immigration applications can be confusing, and merely trying to apply "common sense" may lead to mistakes with significant consequences. The reference to "separated" on the naturalization application refers only to formal court-ordered separation decrees. In general, if an applicant does not know the date that a spouse or former spouse became a naturalized citizen, it will be satisfactory to enter "unknown" or "approximately 199_." It would be wise to work with an immigration lawyer for the naturalization process. Some immigration law firms, including mine, offer legal services on a "flat fee" basis so that a client will know the total expense from the very beginning, and a few immigration law firms, including mine, offer an initial consultation free of charge.