Name change after marriage for a PR, eligible for citizenship soon

[JesseF]

Hello I have a question that I feel should have easy answer so I wanted to ask here just to make sure. My fiance is a PR and she is almost eligible to apply for citizenship (1095 days as a pr in Canada this October). The thing is we want to get married in August and this would get her last name changed to mine. What is the best way to go about her citizenship application after the marriage?

Does she have to apply for a new PR card first after we marry in order to update the name before she applies for citizenship? or can she just apply for citizenship without updating the PR card and just submit the marriage certificate along with the citizenship application? If anyone has experience in this area I would very much appreciate any help.

Thank-you

 

[screech339]

In my opinion, it is best to leave your fiancé last name as maiden name on her citizenship certificate. She can get her DL and Health card changed to marriage name. She can then use the new IDs and her marriage certificate to apply for her passport in her marriage name while retaining her maiden name on her Canadian certificate. Keeping her maiden name on Canadian certificate has the same equivalency as holding a Canadian birth certificate (born in Canada with maiden name).

 

[EstherBarros]

Hello I have a question that I feel should have easy answer so I wanted to ask here just to make sure. My fiance is a PR and she is almost eligible to apply for citizenship (1095 days as a pr in Canada this October). The thing is we want to get married in August and this would get her last name changed to mine. What is the best way to go about her citizenship application after the marriage?

Does she have to apply for a new PR card first after we marry in order to update the name before she applies for citizenship? or can she just apply for citizenship without updating the PR card and just submit the marriage certificate along with the citizenship application? If anyone has experience in this area I would very much appreciate any help.

Thank-you

Hi JesseF,

That depends on what she wants to show on her immigration documents. As a married person, she can use your last name for driver's licenses, bank account etc etc all of that day-to-day stuff, and she does not have to change her original passport or immigration document (PR card).

I am pretty sure she can apply for a new PR card with your marriage license, and it is best to do that before applying for citizenship, I think.

I chose to change my name legally (through a legal name change, not just my marriage license) as this is the procedure for hyphenating names. Then, I waited to send my citizenship application until I was able to change all my Canadian documents (PR card included) and my original passport, so all of the documents I sent show my married name (other than my old passports, obviously). This way, my Citizenship certificate will show my married name which is exactly what I wanted!
I thought that sending all of my current documents with the same name would be less confusing too, but obviously others might choose not to change their original passport/PR card etc.

 

[screech339]

Hi JesseF,

That depends on what she wants to show on her immigration documents. As a married person, she can use your last name for driver's licenses, bank account etc etc all of that day-to-day stuff, and she does not have to change her original passport or immigration document (PR card).

I am pretty sure she can apply for a new PR card with your marriage license, and it is best to do that before applying for citizenship, I think.

I chose to change my name legally (through a legal name change, not just my marriage license) as this is the procedure for hyphenating names. Then, I waited to send my citizenship application until I was able to change all my Canadian documents (PR card included) and my original passport, so all of the documents I sent show my married name (other than my old passports, obviously). This way, my Citizenship certificate will show my married name which is exactly what I wanted!
I thought that sending all of my current documents with the same name would be less confusing too, but obviously others might choose not to change their original passport/PR card etc.

What you are doing is considered a "legal name change" procedure. This obviously means fees associated with it. DL and Health card changes due to legal name change cost money. Whereas last name change on DL based on relationship (marriage) does not cost any fee. If, in the event, one were to get a divorce or want to go back to maiden name, the person will have to do the legal name change for all documents once again, thus more fees.

It is so much easier to change back to maiden name on DL or health card or passport by showing divorce papers. Again no fees associated with it.

If one wants to have their Canadian certificate in their marriage name, by all means go ahead. There is nothing wrong with it. I look at it from a different perspective in saving yourself the hassle of doing all the legal paper work over a legal name change.

 

[EstherBarros]

I had to do it as my husband and I wanted to have a hyphenated last name (which we both adopted). In that case, you HAVE to do a legal name change.

In BC, there's no difference in fees for updating documents between changing names due legal name change or marriage, the cost is the same.

I choose to embrace my new name as, honestly, I did not wish to be associated with my father's last name any longer. But the process for a name change itself was fine, it's very straightforward.

Again, as I said, it all depends on what name the person wants on their immigration documents.

 

[screech339]

I had to do it as my husband and I wanted to have a hyphenated last name (which we both adopted). In that case, you HAVE to do a legal name change.

In BC, there's no difference in fees for updating documents between changing names due legal name change or marriage, the cost is the same.

I choose to embrace my new name as, honestly, I did not wish to be associated with my father's last name any longer. But the process for a name change itself was fine, it's very straightforward.

Again, as I said, it all depends on what name the person wants on their immigration documents.

I guess some provinces may charges fees for any name change regardless of reason, legal or marriage name, as in your case, BC. Ontario, for example, does not charge any fees if the name change was due to marriage name (relationship change) but they do charge fees if name was changed through legal name change, whether it was for a marriage last name change or not.

 

[benjis_monikuss]

Here in BC, I was married and forgot to send in my papers to have a new PR card sent out as we moved homes in that time (over a year and a half between me getting married, then me applying for citizenship this past November). I applied for citizenship in my married name, as on the application you list every name that you have anyway (maiden, birth, married, etc), and I submitted a copy of my marriage certificate with my application. When I received my AOR everything was still in my maiden name, but once my file reached my home office (Surrey) my details were updated on eCas and correspondence between IRCC and myself moving forward.

**Just my opinion** I would actually say it's easier to have her apply for her citizenship/passport in your married name, otherwise whenever she travels she will need to bring her original marriage certificate with her to verify the maiden name on her travel docs. Hope this helps and good luck in August!

 

[screech339]

**Just my opinion** I would actually say it's easier to have her apply for her citizenship/passport in your married name, otherwise whenever she travels she will need to bring her original marriage certificate with her to verify the maiden name on her travel docs. Hope this helps and good luck in August!

That is the same as saying my mother must carry her marriage certificate whenever she travels since her passport has her marriage name. She was never once asked for her marriage certificate or her birth certificate whenever she used her passport. All her identities cards, besides her birth certificate (maiden name), has her marriage name to support her name on her passport. All her IDs were changed due to relationship name change, not through a legal name change.

The only legal travel document will be the passport. Not sure what other travel documents will one need to verify maiden name since all ID's will have marriage name anyway to support marriage name in passport. PR card (which has maiden name) won't exist when you carry your Canadian passport. If one wants to use a native passport that contains her maiden name, it will still be doable since Canadian certificate will have maiden name to match native passport.

 

[benjis_monikuss]

That is the same as saying my mother must carry her marriage certificate whenever she travels since her passport has her marriage name. She was never once asked for her marriage certificate or her birth certificate whenever she used her passport. All her identities cards, besides her birth certificate (maiden name), has her marriage name to support her name on her passport. All her IDs were changed due to relationship name change, not through a legal name change.

The only legal travel document will be the passport. Not sure what other travel documents will one need to verify maiden name since all ID's will have marriage name anyway to support marriage name in passport. PR card (which has maiden name) won't exist when you carry your Canadian passport. If one wants to use a native passport that contains her maiden name, it will still be doable since Canadian certificate will have maiden name to match native passport.

That's not what I said at all if you read it, I said to apply for the passport IN the married name so as NOT to have to bring supporting IDs if it's in her maiden name. Why would someone ask for proof of the name that's on their passport if it matches the flight info etc?

That's why I'm saying if she gets her passport in her maiden but she has all of her other pieces of ID in her married name, it can cause issues. I know of a few people who have traveled under a passport with their maiden name and have been asked to show their marriage certificate since the only other pieces of ID they had with them had reflected the name change to the married name. I have avoided this by booking my trips in my maiden name since that's what's on my valid passport and my PR card. The citizenship doc doesn't really matter as you put all your previous and existing surnames on it and that is specific to your individual identity.