Does anyone know how to change last name after you landed in Canada????

[jot1988]

Hi,
I have landed in toronto last week. I want to change my surname to my husband's surname.
How can I do that???
Also should I do this before applying to SIN and health card???
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[tahsinmohammad]

Hi,
I have landed in toronto last week. I want to change my surname to my husband's surname.
How can I do that???
Also should I do this before applying to SIN and health card???
Any help would be appreciated.

Why do you want to change your surname to your husband's surname.It is not compulsory in Canada to do and they wont even care whether you added ur husband name on your passport or not once you become PR.

Even if you change your surname what about your name on your certificates,degree etc etc.I am not sure about the implications when you submit your passport or PR with your husbands surname with ur name and your degrees and certificates have ur earlier name in future ....

Last but not the least when you become Canadian Citizen in future you wont have your husbands name or your parents name on your Canadian Passport.....

Above said comments are my opinions and hopefully some one will answer your question......

 

[lunas]

I think you need to contact the office of the registar there. When I was there last time to get a copy of my marriage certificate they told me I could change it but then I d have to change my. so passport too and I wasn't ready to do due to my job and the travelling I do. I will though later on. ;D

 

[podkayne8]

I am landed and kept my maiden name for the time being. I didn't want to deal with switching it until after everything was complete.

When I got my SIN card I inquired about the necessary steps to change my name - I was informed that I would first have to request my name change on my PR Card. Then following that you can change everything else. (SIN Card, health card.) Unfortunately, as I understand it so far, that means having to pay to the full fee to have a new PR card issued...I plan to do it, but I am not in a hurry now lol.

My passport is a US passport so I would also have to have that changed for travel purposes - so the name would match the name on my PR card.

 

[CharlieD10]

It's a heap of hassle to change it after. I assumed my husband's name after we got married, and changed my passport while my application was in process. I got my visa in my married name, and everything I have in Canada ID-wise has my married name, and it is marvelous not to have to deal with a name change in Canada as I got it done in my home country when it was still simple.

If you want to change it, my encouragement is to get it done in your home country. In Canada and other countries where you are not required to assume your husband's family name upon marriage, it can be quite a chore to change names on official ID, especially as a PR.

And if you don't have to change it, why bother?

 

[rahulchd]

It's a heap of hassle to change it after. I assumed my husband's name after we got married, and changed my passport while my application was in process. I got my visa in my married name, and everything I have in Canada ID-wise has my married name, and it is marvelous not to have to deal with a name change in Canada as I got it done in my home country when it was still simple.

If you want to change it, my encouragement is to get it done in your home country. In Canada and other countries where you are not required to assume your husband's family name upon marriage, it can be quite a chore to change names on official ID, especially as a PR.

And if you don't have to change it, why bother?

We need government attested marriage certificate from India to get name change on Indian passport in Canada. Check this link..
http://cgivancouver.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=60

 

[truesmile]

It's a heap of hassle to change it after. I assumed my husband's name after we got married, and changed my passport while my application was in process. I got my visa in my married name, and everything I have in Canada ID-wise has my married name, and it is marvelous not to have to deal with a name change in Canada as I got it done in my home country when it was still simple.

If you want to change it, my encouragement is to get it done in your home country. In Canada and other countries where you are not required to assume your husband's family name upon marriage, it can be quite a chore to change names on official ID, especially as a PR.

And if you don't have to change it, why bother?

I'll just put out there that for SOME cultures, to NOT take your husband's surname is NOT ACCEPTABLE.

 

[CharlieD10]

I'll just put out there that for SOME cultures, to NOT take your husband's surname is NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I know. In Jamaica, I either had to take his name, or attach it to my family name by hyphenating. I was not about to wander around the world with a double-barreled last name, so I dropped my last name and took his. I'm just saying, in countries like Canada where it's not required, I say take advantage of it and don't bother. It's a patrician, archaic tradition dating from days when women were considered chattel (movable property) and I, for one, have all kinds of objections to the practice. However, I choose my battles when it comes to expressing my liberation as a woman, and my family name is not one of those battles. What's in a name? A rose by any other name...and all that!

 

[canuck0469]

We applied for the SIN#, Health card, bank acoounts, credit card in our married name, just showed a copy of our Marriage Cert for the SIN. My wifes passport and PR card are still in her maiden name. when we travelled back Canada Imm asked why we hadn't changed everything and we expalined that we're waiting for her citizenship and Candian PP then we'll change as would be a hassle having different names on PR and PP. He agreed and said it was smarter to do it that way, less questions

 

[podkayne8]

It's a heap of hassle to change it after. I assumed my husband's name after we got married, and changed my passport while my application was in process. I got my visa in my married name, and everything I have in Canada ID-wise has my married name, and it is marvelous not to have to deal with a name change in Canada as I got it done in my home country when it was still simple.

If you want to change it, my encouragement is to get it done in your home country. In Canada and other countries where you are not required to assume your husband's family name upon marriage, it can be quite a chore to change names on official ID, especially as a PR.

And if you don't have to change it, why bother?

I thought it was going to be a heap of hassle to change it during the processing, especially since I was travelling back and forth all the time. I kind of wish I had just done it then, as it does seem to be a heap of hassle now. LOL

I don't have to take his last name, I just want to, archaic tradition and all lol. My husband could care less, honestly, if I change my name. I actually just want to tack on his to mine as I think it will simplify some things. My husbands kids live with us full-time and my last name being different than than theirs makes for lots of extra questions any time I have to do anything - travel, take them to the doctor etc. Everytime we cross the border together, we have to explain that we are married and such. It is getting to be quite an annoyance. I wish I had known it would be so hard to do. There is no simple way to change your name on your PR card after the fact as far as I can tell. I think I might have to actually apply for a legal name change here in Manitoba. And then send that in to the CIC for a new PR card. Anyone done it after the fact? And have any advice on how to do it?

 

[Fencesitter]

I actually think it would make things easier if my wife had my last name. I can see hassles when we are doing something with our son (he has my last name). Not sure how to go about it, but I think we'll just leave it for now and tackle that later on when my wife goes for citizenship. I guess we can apply for a legal name change after she has been granted citizenship. As with many things, getting a name change in China is not easy...the people who work in that department probably don't know what to do because not too many people change their names...

FS

 

[backcountry]

It's a heap of hassle to change it after. I assumed my husband's name after we got married, and changed my passport while my application was in process. I got my visa in my married name, and everything I have in Canada ID-wise has my married name, and it is marvelous not to have to deal with a name change in Canada as I got it done in my home country when it was still simple.

If you want to change it, my encouragement is to get it done in your home country. In Canada and other countries where you are not required to assume your husband's family name upon marriage, it can be quite a chore to change names on official ID, especially as a PR.

And if you don't have to change it, why bother?

When you changed your passport while your application was in process, did you then just submit new photocopies of your passport, and did they arrive and get attached to your file ok?

 

[parker24]

I actually think it would make things easier if my wife had my last name. I can see hassles when we are doing something with our son (he has my last name). Not sure how to go about it, but I think we'll just leave it for now and tackle that later on when my wife goes for citizenship. I guess we can apply for a legal name change after she has been granted citizenship. As with many things, getting a name change in China is not easy...the people who work in that department probably don't know what to do because not too many people change their names...

FS

It does cause some troubles. I grew up with my parents as common law, and I have my dad's last name. So the first 5-8 years of my life, my mom had to carry my birth certificate to PROVE that she did indeed go through labour to deliver me! It was annoying. But once common law became, well, common, they didn't ask anymore. I still do get the eyebrow raise when my mom is brought up as my emergency contact (Hubby will be once he lands) since her last name is different, but not as much. As a kid, it was kind of annoying to explain to teachers and doctors *sigh*

 

[lunas]

After I am through with this process, no paperwork will be worse than this!!! lol
I will change my last name later but now I got visas to go to other countries :-X I don't want to lose that until I'm done using them.

 

[CharlieD10]

When you changed your passport while your application was in process, did you then just submit new photocopies of your passport, and did they arrive and get attached to your file ok?

Yes, that's exactly what we did. I had an advantage in that I lived within walking distance of the embassy, so I hand-delivered the new passport copy and know it arrived safely. I knew it was attached to my file correctly afterwards because we ordered our GCMS notes a few months later and it showed that we had submitted additional information including an updated passport.

Lunas: I was advised by the US embassy that I would have no issues using the visa issued in my maiden name that is in my old passport with my updated passport, so long as I had my MC available for inspection. Additionally, because I took my husband's last name and did not hyphenate it, my new passport actually shows my maiden name in the format :Charlie D nee (nee = formerly) C. So with both passports (old with maiden name and US visa, new with married name) and my MC, I don't anticipate any issues getting into the US if we decide to go there.

Furthermore, they said if I wanted to change it to my married name I would have to go through the screening and interview process yet again, repay all the fees and there was no guarantee I would be issued a visa again. I said to heck with that!