Rete

Just to be sure ... you completed the form for the green card and paid the required fee while at the US Embassy?

It would appear that the person you dealt with is not on the top of their game because there is absolutely no reason why the green card cannot be manufactured in your married surname. Yes, the visa will be in your passport and as such will have the name on the passport. The green card is a horse of a different color.

Sorry you are having to deal with this. It is a pain to have the name changed on the green card and means you will be without proof of your status, other than the 1 year stamp in your passport, until the new one comes back. And you might have to pay for the name change since it was not USCIS error.

KK85

Thank you for this, Rete.

I was not given any form to complete at my interview, and was not given any instruction on paying the IV fee. I have always known that the IV fee exists and needs to be paid, but my mind was in a complete blur as I left and it only occurred to me afterwards that I hadn't paid anything - I assumed, therefore, that the fee gets paid online. I've been looking this morning and have found instructions on where/how to pay, but my account isn't seeming to be recognised on the Visa Appointment Service website.

Ought I be concerned that something has been missed, here?

Edit: I might be getting confused. I've mentioned an IV fee, but that's not the one you're referring to, is it, Rete?

On the 13th of July, I paid an IV fee of $325, and subsequently submitted my DS-260. I have not yet paid the fee that I believe is due for the production of my green card, which I understand is currently $265? I read online that this fee ought to be paid prior to leaving for the USA, but that doesn't have to be and can be paid afterwards - my intention has always been to pay it whenever it became available to pay, though, in order to avoid delay of delivery of my green card. But the UK Visa Appointment Service website, while it does say I am 'signed in', seems to want me to create a new account in order to make payment, and I'm seeing no option anywhere for me to pay anything on the account I already have.

KK85

I've just read this thread, and it seems some of us are having different experiences at the embassy when it comes to whether we do/do not pay fees while there.

I am reassured by LandOfLincoln's comment at the end, and am hopeful that I will receive better (any!) instructions once my documents are returned. Of course, if anyone knows any different in the meantime, I'd be glad to take any advice! LOL's comment also reads as though I will indeed need to create a new account somewhere, which confirms why I might be having technical difficulties now. I'll report back!

KK85

I have now found these instructions: https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/us...ay%20the%20Fee

They state it is best to wait until after I've received my visa package to pay the fee, but before I fly to the United States. That is reassuring!

My only concern, now, is that I do not recall ever filling out any form that relates to the production of my green card. It is possible I have done so and am now simply overlooking it, but I certainly didn't fill anything out while at the embassy, so if it was ever done, it would have been way back in this process.

Rete

Glad you were able to find the information you needed to clarify the green card fee.

Now we will see once you access the online site if there is a form to completed as well as payment instructions.

KK85

Fingers crossed! I'll report back.

Thank you, Rete.

Sean81

Hiya. Just curious if there was any update to this issue? I know you have said you're probably going to pay the fee later due to your wage, I'm just wondering if there were instructions in the package with your passport?
TIA

KK85

The letter that came with the packet was last updated in 2012, and as far as I can tell, it seems to have some misinformation on it? It correctly states at the top that the Immigrant Fee is $220, which is what shows payable online when you log in to pay it (the letter comes with log-in instructions for the site where you pay the fee), but later in the letter it says you only pay $165 online. I'm not sure why it says that, and there is no option to only pay $165. Nobody has got back to me yet regarding any consequences of paying after arrival rather than the 'strongly advised' before, so I'm not sure what happens there, but I will report back if I find out before anyone comes back to us.

The letter also states that there will be a form to complete upon POE, which is an application for a green card. I'm going to speak to the officer at POE and ask if it's okay to put my married name on this form, considering my visa is in my maiden name.

This will all happen on Friday, so I'll be sure to come by and update you as soon as I can.

Sean81

Thanks Kate. I was actually able to collect my passport with the instructions the day after my last post. I too found it confusing that there were two prices on the instructions, but like you, put it down to an error on the form itself.

At my POE there was no form given to me by the immigration officer, which I only realised after I had left the airport, but my wife had filed the USCIS form out online and paid the fee for me (my WiFi decided to pack it in so I was unable to do it) and she said it asked for an address so I'm guessing that has replaced any physical form which may have been used previously. I guess I'll find out in the coming months!

KK85

Hello!

Sorry for the delay getting back to everyone here - I'm all settled in the States and will write more properly soon. My husband and I have both had a sinus infection, so been a tad under the weather, but otherwise everything is fine!

I was given no form to fill in at POE, and no details were confirmed other than my postal address. So I imagine my green card will be issued in my maiden name. I won't rush to amend this until applying to have the conditions removed as it makes little difference to my everyday life.

I paid the green card processing fee last Friday, one week after arriving in the States, and again there was no form to complete, no option to discuss what name it would be issued in.

I'll write up a more detailed post about my POE experience shortly, but just wanted to stop by here and clarify those details.

Hope everyone is well!