Name Change before Citizenship (No surname in India)

[newapply]

Hi,

I am due for applying for my Canadian citizenship. Currently on Canadian documents we have or name in the below format:
First name: Blank
Last Name: XXX YYY

This happened, because in India we do not have any surname (blank). In Canada, as Last name is mandatory, this is how the name came in all my documents.

Is there any way by which we can keep XXX as first name and YYY as last name? As this is just a sequence change, do I need to apply for legal name change? Is there any ways by which in the citizenship application form, I can just mention the new name format.

I am not willing to go for a legal name change as that's time consuming and then I will have to apply for a new PR card -all which will delay the citizenship application.

Please advise.

 

[keypad]

Hi,

I am due for applying for my Canadian citizenship. Currently on Canadian documents we have or name in the below format:
First name: Blank
Last Name: XXX YYY

This happened, because in India we do not have any surname (blank). In Canada, as Last name is mandatory, this is how the name came in all my documents.

Is there any way by which we can keep XXX as first name and YYY as last name? As this is just a sequence change, do I need to apply for legal name change? Is there any ways by which in the citizenship application form, I can just mention the new name format.

I am not willing to go for a legal name change as that's time consuming and then I will have to apply for a new PR card -all which will delay the citizenship application.

Please advise.

You will need to go through legal name change process. In BC, it takes approx 4-5 weeks. Though, you can do this after obtaining citizenship but you can't do this only with your citizenship application. Personally, I would do legal name change before citizenship application as that will eliminate the need of replacing citizenship documents.

 

[newapply]

Thanks keypad. In Ontario it takes 6-8 weeks for legal name change and after that 63 days to update PR card (as I have to submit my PR card copy for citizenship application). That's almost 4 months waiting time for me...But I think its better to do it before citizenship than later...

 

[spyfy]

Thanks keypad. In Ontario it takes 6-8 weeks for legal name change and after that 63 days to update PR card (as I have to submit my PR card copy for citizenship application). That's almost 4 months waiting time for me...But I think its better to do it before citizenship than later...

You don't have to submit your PR card copy with your citizenship application.

You only need one (or two) pieces of ID. That can be your drivers licence or health card which can be renewed much faster than a PR card.