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Name Change

Calgary4Me

Member
Mar 15, 2010
13
0
Hi folks,

I had a question for everyone, maybe someone has some insight.

In 2008, I went to court in Missouri (where I was living) to legally change my name due to some family issues. It was approved by the court and I was told that it would legally take effect (under common-law system) as soon as I decided to start using it on a day-to-day basis, applied it to my legal documentation like drivers license and passport, etc.

Because of my employer and a few other complications, I did not immediately begin using the new name and have only gradually begun using it.

Now, in 2012, I am a temporary foreign worker in Ontario. I have a 3 year work permit and I'm interested in completing my change of name.

I understand that Service Ontario should be able to handle the drivers license easily enough. Additionally, Service Canada should handle a name change for tax purposes. However, are there any hurdles in getting a name change on a work permit? Should I change my passport first, and then ask for the work permit to change, or should I do that the other way around? I understand getting the passport changed by mail can take up to a month, but if I do it in person in Boston or New York (where I may be travelling next month) they can often do it as a next-day service.

However, when I re-enter Canada, might there be problems with a passport that no longer matches the work permit? I'm sure this question comes up often, because I presume women get married while on work permits often enough.

I hope it won't be a problem that the name-change documentation is dated 2008. I was complying with the law where the paperwork was filed and it never occurred to me that it may cause problems elsewhere (until a friend mentioned that it might just recently).

Any thoughts? When married, a woman doesn't have to rush out to change her name right away, correct? If she takes 6 months to get a new passport, that's not illegal, correct?


I just want to make sure I do my diligence with this before I jump on this change.

Thanks,
C4m