Hi Legalfalcon,
I have a very typical query.
I got married few months back. My wife has only first name (given name) in all her docs, including passport. Thus, I prepared my marriage certificate mentioning her first name only. Moreover, I also included her first name in my passport as spouse’s name and she included mine, using the recently created marriage certificate. Now, using her current passport and all other docs, I can apply for PR visa with only one part of her name, and as per CIC, that won’t be an issue and our PR can be processed easily.
However, recently while scanning through various online forums regarding post landing docs, I came to know that “Health Card” in Canada cannot be processed only with single part of the name (that is both: Given Name and Family Name is required). Also, many applicant, who have this issue, were forced to apply for a name change in Canada before applying for Health card, and subsequently all their immigration document, such as: PR card, SIN, Driving License were changed. I would like to know: if it is possible to proceed with only Given Name in Canada and get all the benefits of a permanent resident or that would cause any issue as described above.
Please note: I have just received ITA and I am in the process of document collection. Since, I have yet not applied, in case my wife’s name is going to cause issues in future, I can modify her name in her passport and add my family name as her family name . But, again as her name in marriage certificate and rest of the docs would remain as her maiden name, I want to double check, if this change would lead to any future confusion in Canada or not.
Please suggest the best possible solution to this matter. I would like to avoid any future confusion. Thus, seeking your help in this matter.
Waiting for an early response from your end.
Thanks,
PKS