Immigration Question: Can an adopted green card holder change their name?
I was adopted when I was 12 years old – I am now 22 and want to change my name back to my original one. I have a green card. Is this possible and will it affect my status and getting US citizenship?

You can change your name legally to anything you want by filing a Petition in the state court once the purpose is legitimate and not for any nefarious purpose. This will not affect your immigration status of getting U.S. Citizenship. Any and all such changes should be disclosed in any application for immigration benefits including naturalization processing. You can also change it during a naturalization proceedings. However, none of your birth parents can receive immigration benefits through you because as a result of the adoption that child parental relationship was legally terminated.

If you need more detailed on this topic please feel free to contact me

Wayne C.Golding Sr. Esq.
The Golding Law group PLC
311 North Rosalind Ave
Orlando, Florida 3201
407 574 8691
[email protected]

About Wayne C.Golding Sr. Esq.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica in June 1964, Wayne spent some of his formative years growing up in parish of St. Mary.  He is proud that he was blessed with the experience of both “Jamaican country and town life”. He is the child of a St. Mary born mother, Minette Brown – Gayle, a Clarendon born father Louis Golding and is married to Lois Johnson who is also a quintessential  daughter of the soil of Jamaica. Lois and Wayne are the parents of two children Tassanee and Wayne, Jr.  He is a family man who is often joined by his parents and in – laws in his travels and related Diaspora activities.  He credits his strong Jamaican upbringing and access to quality education in Jamaica for his successes in life. This moulding has contributed to his attention to details, perseverance in his law practice and his daily life.