Visitor / supervisa and name change

[2_of_5]

My wife and I would like to apply for a visitor or supervisa for her mother to come visit us. We're just starting the process, and have run into an issue:

When my wife was born (Philippines) her mother is listed on the birth certificate as [Nickname] [Maternal LN] [Married LN]. She has been using her Nickname as her first name forever, in fact, I didn't know this until last week...I thought it was her actual name.

She's never had a passport, and to get her passport, she got her birth certificate, marriage certificate (now widowed). Turns out, her official first name is something that has not been used on any official documents since her birth certificate.

We were thinking she needed to go through the name change process in the Philippines before applying for her passport. But that process is 24,000 PHP, or about $600 CAD. Now we're wondering if it's really necessary.

Would it be an issue if the first name on my wife's BC does not match the name on her mother's passport when applying for a visa? Would IRCC accept an explanation, or do you think that she would need to go through the name change process. I guess at this point, we could apply and see if they raise any red flags before committing to spend $600.

 

[Bryanna]

My wife and I would like to apply for a visitor or supervisa for her mother to come visit us. We're just starting the process, and have run into an issue:

When my wife was born (Philippines) her mother is listed on the birth certificate as [Nickname] [Maternal LN] [Married LN]. She has been using her Nickname as her first name forever, in fact, I didn't know this until last week...I thought it was her actual name.

She's never had a passport, and to get her passport, she got her birth certificate, marriage certificate (now widowed). Turns out, her official first name is something that has not been used on any official documents since her birth certificate.

We were thinking she needed to go through the name change process in the Philippines before applying for her passport. But that process is 24,000 PHP, or about $600 CAD. Now we're wondering if it's really necessary.

Would it be an issue if the first name on my wife's BC does not match the name on her mother's passport when applying for a visa? Would IRCC accept an explanation, or do you think that she would need to go through the name change process. I guess at this point, we could apply and see if they raise any red flags before committing to spend $600.

Your wife's mom must include an affidavit that states X, Y and Z names are the identity of the same person.... and these names have been used in A, B, C, D documents.

She must declare all names, nicknames, aliases, maiden names, etc. in her visa application form (there's a question for this)

 

[bellaluna]

What Bryanna said, I’d done. My mom has that case where her name in her BC and passport are completely different, because the latter is her baptismal name. Not an issue for her PR. Your case is even milder. This is pretty common in the Philippines and as long as you declare it, it should be fine.

 

[2_of_5]

Thanks Bryanna and bellaluna!