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Incorrect Middle Name in Application

alinium

Newbie
Jan 20, 2013
1
0
Hi all,

I'm a long time lurker and this is the first time I'm posting in this forum. Usually I'm able to find answers to most of my questions just by searching the forums, but I think I am in a unique situation now and would like some advice from the people here:

I recently submitted my citizenship application and got back the acknowledgement that it is received. However, they have added a middle name to my name which I did not specify in the application. Actually, I think CIC has had that incorrect middle name on file for me since I first applied for a Canadian visa and a Study Permit (10 years ago). I didn't bother correcting it back then, or any time since then, because the First name and Last name were correct and it didn't cause too much trouble any where. But now I don't want the official name on my future citizenship documents to be the incorrect one.

My question is if I should try to correct the name now? Will doing so delay the processing of the application? The other option would be to wait till citizenship is done and then file for a name change. What would you folks suggest?

I should also point out that all other official documentation has my correct name. E.g. if my name is "John Doe", then the CIC system has my name as "John Smith Doe". All other documentation like my PR card, Record of Landing, Driver's License, Passport have the name "John Doe". The only exception is my Health Card, which also states "John Smith Doe", but I think that is because the Health Canada internal computer systems are somehow linked to the CIC system in a way that the other ones aren't. In all official correspondence with all Canadian government agencies I have always used the name "John Doe" and never made mention of the incorrect middle name, even when the form asked for "other names that may be associated with you". I have never had any issues (regarding the missing middle name) during my correspondence with these agencies. It's also worth noting that the incorrect middle name attached to my name is the same as my father's first name. I think the first visa agent who was creating the computer file for me (10 years ago), got confused and input the wrong name into the system and its been like that since then.

So should I try to correct the name with CIC now, after 10 years of using the incorrect one? Another thing that concerns me if I try to correct my name is that my birth certificate has a different spelling for my correct name (e.g. "Jonathon" instead of "Johnathan"). The words pronounce the same, but it is a different spelling. The spelling used on my birth certificate is one that I haven't used for maybe 20 years now. I'm afraid this will cause more confusion when trying to clear up the words in my name.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!