Completely changing my wife and her son's name.

[clubbah]

Hi guys

I tried doing a search on the forum first to find an adequate answer, but wasn't able to really find one.

I'm still in the process of sponsoring my wife and her son here to Canada - I expect to get a passport request soon. Because they're Vietnamese and would like to ease the transition into Canada, they've both decided to use English names. As a result, their first names will change as well as their last names will adopt mine, essentially meaning both their names will be totally different.

After they arrive here, will we have to wait a year to begin that process? I'm worried it's going to be tough on my son to go through one year with one name, and then suddenly have a completely different name the next year. Kids these days are cruel.

Any input would be greatly appreciated - many thanks!

Cheers!

 

[Leon]

In Ontario you have to wait a year before changing your name but I know in AB you don't. You can also explain the situation to his school and ask them to register him under his new name so the kids will not know him under any other name.

 

[clubbah]

Thank you, Leon, that's a great idea.

I was aware that in Ontario you would have to reside in the province for one year first, but I thought I read somewhere that for immigration purposes, they may make exceptions.

 

[Suin]

will not the name change make a conflict with the name on the birth certificate?

 

[clubbah]

Well, I'd be applying for a legal name change for the both of them, so all their documents would reflect their new names. I just wasn't sure how soon I could do it after they landed. Their names are quite hard to pronounce, so we thought just choosing English names would make things a lot easier.

 

[Leon]

I know some chinese people who had changed their names to English names and I know some other people whose legal name is still whatever but they use an English name in their daily life. It's not a big deal to change your name in Canada. You get a paper stating that you changed your name and you use that to change it on your SIN card and with immigration as well as on your passport.

 

[clubbah]

Ah, perhaps that's what we need, that 'paper.'

Maybe an affidavit of some sort until the one year passes?

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Leon]

I really don't know the rules in ON too well but somebody told me you have to live there a year before you can change your name. I have not heard of there being exceptions to that. In AB, there is no 1 year rule, you would walk into a registry, say you want to change your name, sign some papers, pay a bunch of money, wait a few weeks and then you get that 'paper', certificate of name change or something like that and you'd have to use that to change your name at Service Canada, immigration, the bank and everywhere else and until you'd changed your name on your passport as well, you might need to carry this paper when you travel to show that you 'old name' is the same person as you 'new name'.