Middle name missing in COPR

[radicalprotnns]

Hi all,

I already obtained my CoPR and I'm planning to move to Canada in the next few months.

Where I'm from, our passports have a last name, given name, and a middle name. These are separate fields. When I was applying for EE, the instructions there said to write the given name as shown in the passport. My middle name therefore is not in my CoPR as there was no space to put it in the EE application. However, my CoPR is technically correct as it has my last name and given name on my passport.

It only dawned on me that there's a chance in the future that my middle name will be lost since it's not on any official Canadian document. I therefore want to have it appended to my given name. It is part of my identity.

What's the least painful way to go about this process? As much as possible, I'd like to settle this before the citizenship process in the future. There's technically no legal name change as my name on the passport did not change. I read in the port of entry examinations manual, p. 55 that if there's a "clerical error" in the CoPR, the border service officer can amend it and update GCMS upon landing. Anyone experienced this and would mine be a "clerical error" (although it's partly my fault that I didn't combine my given name and middle name)...?

I'd appreciate your suggestions if you have any experiences on this matter. Thanks!

 

[mpsqra]

Hi all,

I already obtained my CoPR and I'm planning to move to Canada in the next few months.

Where I'm from, our passports have a last name, given name, and a middle name. These are separate fields. When I was applying for EE, the instructions there said to write the given name as shown in the passport. My middle name therefore is not in my CoPR as there was no space to put it in the EE application. However, my CoPR is technically correct as it has my last name and given name on my passport.

It only dawned on me that there's a chance in the future that my middle name will be lost since it's not on any official Canadian document. I therefore want to have it appended to my given name. It is part of my identity.

What's the least painful way to go about this process? As much as possible, I'd like to settle this before the citizenship process in the future. There's technically no legal name change as my name on the passport did not change. I read in the port of entry examinations manual, p. 55 that if there's a "clerical error" in the CoPR, the border service officer can amend it and update GCMS upon landing. Anyone experienced this and would mine be a "clerical error" (although it's partly my fault that I didn't combine my given name and middle name)...?

I'd appreciate your suggestions if you have any experiences on this matter. Thanks!

Yes, the border service officer can amend it and update all information upon landing. p.e. eyes' color, high.

 

[radicalprotnns]

Wow, thanks! this is such a relief. I was searching left and right about this.

 

[rcincanada2019]

Hi all,

I already obtained my CoPR and I'm planning to move to Canada in the next few months.

Where I'm from, our passports have a last name, given name, and a middle name. These are separate fields. When I was applying for EE, the instructions there said to write the given name as shown in the passport. My middle name therefore is not in my CoPR as there was no space to put it in the EE application. However, my CoPR is technically correct as it has my last name and given name on my passport.

It only dawned on me that there's a chance in the future that my middle name will be lost since it's not on any official Canadian document. I therefore want to have it appended to my given name. It is part of my identity.

What's the least painful way to go about this process? As much as possible, I'd like to settle this before the citizenship process in the future. There's technically no legal name change as my name on the passport did not change. I read in the port of entry examinations manual, p. 55 that if there's a "clerical error" in the CoPR, the border service officer can amend it and update GCMS upon landing. Anyone experienced this and would mine be a "clerical error" (although it's partly my fault that I didn't combine my given name and middle name)...?

I'd appreciate your suggestions if you have any experiences on this matter. Thanks!

Are you by any chance from the Philippines? If so, the machine readable portion of the passport bio page (the bottom area full of <<<<<<<<<< in between names) only lists the first and the last name, no middle name. Different countries have different meaning for middle names. Should not matter, technically. Am not a lawyer, though, so this is just an opinion.

 

[armoured]

I already obtained my CoPR and I'm planning to move to Canada in the next few months.

It only dawned on me that there's a chance in the future that my middle name will be lost since it's not on any official Canadian document. I therefore want to have it appended to my given name. It is part of my identity.

What's the least painful way to go about this process? As much as possible, I'd like to settle this before the citizenship process in the future.

So there are several different levels to this because Canadian practice and law is a bit fluid (because of common law practices).

My honest advice would be to NOT change the COPR and just proceed and land in Canada.

Easy part of this answer is that changing your name legally later is a relatively simple and painless procedure. Requirements in Ontario (for example) are basically you can change your name here after one year as a resident, it costs a relatively modest amount (don't recall how much), and only takes a month or two for the legal name change. Then after that you can change other docs in no particular rush. You will have PLENTY of time to do so before citizenship.

BUT: you may find you do not need to. There is a thing with machine readable docs that they limit the number of characters, and 'middle name' is a bit ambiguous in Canadian practice (compared to foreign) as to whether it's a second given name or a part fo the last name or something else entirely.

Most importantly: in most contexts in Canada, you just use whatever name you prefer, and as long as you do so consistently, that will be 'your name.' This will be even easier if your home coutnry ID (esp passport) shows the full name. And under common law historically, this is a type of legal name change.

So: whenever you have a choice or a form to fill out, just keep writing in your full name incl middle. Everywhere. Ask. If they want to see ID that shows your full name, show them the one that has it (your foreign passport).

You can also try this upon landing, and you can in due course ask IRCC to issue one with the full name (if they can given space limitations on a technical basis ie. computer systems do have designed limits).

After your first year of residence here, you'll pretty much understand where/if this process has limitations that force you to do the legal name change. Conversely: it's possible you mght decide you're find with leaving it as it is - after all, you can continue to use your full name in most contexts, socially, business, etc., and there's really no issue if your name on legal documents is different. Lots of people continue to use their unmarried name in work/professioanl contexts but married name for legal purposes, or vice-versa or many many different variations on this type of thing.

Example: I use a shortened version of my first name and no middle name, because I prefer that. All Canadian documentation uses this version, from driver's license, govt correspondence, passport, you name it - because I insist upon it and do it consistently. Once I got the driver's license, honestly, it has all been easy.

Now sometimes this approach doesn't work - esp if name change amounts to a complete change. But adapting to use a version of your existing name is often pretty easy.

 

[radicalprotnns]

Are you by any chance from the Philippines? If so, the machine readable portion of the passport bio page (the bottom area full of <<<<<<<<<< in between names) only lists the first and the last name, no middle name. Different countries have different meaning for middle names. Should not matter, technically. Am not a lawyer, though, so this is just an opinion.

Yes! but when I lived in the US, most of the forms I filled up asked me for a middle name, if available.

 

[radicalprotnns]

So there are several different levels to this because Canadian practice and law is a bit fluid (because of common law practices).

My honest advice would be to NOT change the COPR and just proceed and land in Canada.

Easy part of this answer is that changing your name legally later is a relatively simple and painless procedure. Requirements in Ontario (for example) are basically you can change your name here after one year as a resident, it costs a relatively modest amount (don't recall how much), and only takes a month or two for the legal name change. Then after that you can change other docs in no particular rush. You will have PLENTY of time to do so before citizenship.

BUT: you may find you do not need to. There is a thing with machine readable docs that they limit the number of characters, and 'middle name' is a bit ambiguous in Canadian practice (compared to foreign) as to whether it's a second given name or a part fo the last name or something else entirely.

Most importantly: in most contexts in Canada, you just use whatever name you prefer, and as long as you do so consistently, that will be 'your name.' This will be even easier if your home coutnry ID (esp passport) shows the full name. And under common law historically, this is a type of legal name change.

So: whenever you have a choice or a form to fill out, just keep writing in your full name incl middle. Everywhere. Ask. If they want to see ID that shows your full name, show them the one that has it (your foreign passport).

You can also try this upon landing, and you can in due course ask IRCC to issue one with the full name (if they can given space limitations on a technical basis ie. computer systems do have designed limits).

After your first year of residence here, you'll pretty much understand where/if this process has limitations that force you to do the legal name change. Conversely: it's possible you mght decide you're find with leaving it as it is - after all, you can continue to use your full name in most contexts, socially, business, etc., and there's really no issue if your name on legal documents is different. Lots of people continue to use their unmarried name in work/professioanl contexts but married name for legal purposes, or vice-versa or many many different variations on this type of thing.

Example: I use a shortened version of my first name and no middle name, because I prefer that. All Canadian documentation uses this version, from driver's license, govt correspondence, passport, you name it - because I insist upon it and do it consistently. Once I got the driver's license, honestly, it has all been easy.

Now sometimes this approach doesn't work - esp if name change amounts to a complete change. But adapting to use a version of your existing name is often pretty easy.

Wow thanks for the advice! Yes I know it sounds like a trivial matter. It just hit me that, because my end goal is really citizenship, if my middle name is not reflected in Canadian documents, it will be "forever gone" as I'll be renouncing my former citizenship and my country's passport will have no bearing anymore.

Anyway, ok I'll keep what you said in mind. Indeed, I do plan to reside in Ontario but the fee for a legal name change is $137! Not only that, I don't know if mine is even considered a name change since I don't have a before and after of the same document to submit that shows a name change... I read the instructions for this and it seems that if a name change is done in the future, you always have to tick the box for alias, etc etc etc.

 

[armoured]

Wow thanks for the advice! Yes I know it sounds like a trivial matter. It just hit me that, because my end goal is really citizenship, if my middle name is not reflected in Canadian documents, it will be "forever gone" as I'll be renouncing my former citizenship and my country's passport will have no bearing anymore.

Anyway, ok I'll keep what you said in mind. Indeed, I do plan to reside in Ontario but the fee for a legal name change is $137! Not only that, I don't know if mine is even considered a name change since I don't have a before and after of the same document to submit that shows a name change... I read the instructions for this and it seems that if a name change is done in the future, you always have to tick the box for alias, etc etc etc.

There is no need to stress too much, you'll have years, and I think you'll find in Canada that most institutions will - within reason - try reasonably hard to accommodate your wishes to be named as you wish to be named.

Sorry, but $137 by latest standards is not that much. Take a look at rent in Ontario - that $137 is maybe 5-10% of one month's rent. If that shocks you, get used to your jaw dropping 50 times a day in Toronto.

 

[armoured]

Yes! but when I lived in the US, most of the forms I filled up asked me for a middle name, if available.

Standard Canadian and most of eg Europe treatment is that middle name is just an extra given name., and just gets added after other given names.

I have a close friend - French - with four given names. It just gets left out of passports and almost every other official document. Doesn't mean the long full name is 'gone'; it's just almost never used in complete form. (I'll ave to ask sometime, I suspect it's only in complete form on the birth certificate.)

 

[pinemaple]

Hi, also a Filipino here. When I researched it for my own PR application, it looked like there were 3 ways people dealt with it -

1. What you did, which is ignore it on the forms;
2. Still leave it off the forms but include a letter of explanation about the middle name thing;
3. Stick it onto your first name.

Honestly 3 seems a little awkward even if it stays part of your name, so I opted for 2. Your middle name will always be on your birth certificate anyway, and part of your identity. As far as I can tell most people don't bother adding it on legally if they didn't do 3.

 

[armoured]

3. Stick it onto your first name.

Honestly 3 seems a little awkward even if it stays part of your name, so I opted for 2. Your middle name will always be on your birth certificate anyway, and part of your identity. As far as I can tell most people don't bother adding it on legally if they didn't do 3.

Canada still has the cultural practice of referring to middle name(s), but I'm fairly sure legally now the only concept is given names, and any middle name is just one of the given names. Of course forms will sometimes have a line for entry of a middle name, and more and more you'll see places having spaces to enter a 'preferred name' or some other creation so as to make it clear.

 

[pinemaple]

Canada still has the cultural practice of referring to middle name(s), but I'm fairly sure legally now the only concept is given names, and any middle name is just one of the given names. Of course forms will sometimes have a line for entry of a middle name, and more and more you'll see places having spaces to enter a 'preferred name' or some other creation so as to make it clear.

What does 'middle name' mean in this context? In the Philippines, it's always your mother's maiden last name.

 

[armoured]

What does 'middle name' mean in this context? In the Philippines, it's always your mother's maiden last name.

That's the thing, a middle name formally doesn't mean anything (or it means whatever a given family wanted to do). Some ethnic groups had specific traditions or practices (like a parent's or grandparent's name/family name), some did not and just choose an extra name, and the government (mostly) does not get involved, everyone does what they want. And government just treats all these names except for last names as given names. There is the practical aspect of how many names or characters they can fit on a document.

It's not uncommon for people to choose to use their middle name in daily use (two people in my immediate family) for various reasons - eg a sibling of mine used middle name because a cousin also had the same first name (both named after a common grandparent), and it got confusing. It stuck. No problem, the first name now is used just as an initial, almost no-one outside the family knows it's not the first name.

 

[rcincanada2019]

What does 'middle name' mean in this context? In the Philippines, it's always your mother's maiden last name.

I think Canada and the US refer to middle names as second name (part of the given name). Whereas in the Philippines, it is the mother's maiden name (easier to trace a person's lineage and create a family tree). Other countries/cultures only have first name, no family names.