Signature on photo during naturalization interview

[kkm]

Hi,

My mom took the interview yesterday. She passed the interview and she was asked to sign her name on several papers.

After checking with some friends and views some threads on this forum, many people said that they did need to sign/print their full names on the white area of their photos. However, my mom was not requested to sign/print her name on her photo during her interview. I would like to know:
(1) Is "signing name on photo" a necessary procedure during the interivew?
(2) If she did not sign name on photo, will she be asked to do so on the Oath Ceremony?
(3) As I know the photo will be attached on the Naturalization Certificate, is it okay if the photo is not signed?
(4) Are there any people who were not requested to sign their photo during the interview even they passed the interview?

Please advise, I am so worried now.

[knowledgeable]

Search for posts under my name

Search for posts under my name on this subject matter. There has been a huge discussion on this which will help you out.

Take care.

[kkm]

Hi Knowledgeable,

I've searched a lot of posts under your name about the signature of Naturalization Certificate. However, most people seems that they did sign name on their photos during the interview, and finally the signature they signed on the certificate matched the name they signed on the photo.

Is it a must to sign name on the photo?

Can you direct me to your posts regarding this issue? Thanks.

P.S. Does anyone have similiar experience like my mom's case (did not sign name on photo in the interview even she passes the test)? Please feel free to share.

Thank you.

[knowledgeable]

Here is the info

No, you don't HAVE TO sign the photograph. You have to surely sign the certificate with the full name spelled out.

The post I was referring to is at http://www.immihelp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29284&highlight=signature

However, if you or your mom have any doubts you can go ahead and sign the photo like you've signed the certificate.

If you choose not to, it won't cause you any trouble at all.

Different USCIS offices work differently. The important thing is to sign the certificate and finally make sure she signs the US passport that she gets.

Take care.

Best regards.

[kkm]

Thank you Knowledgeable for the prompt response.

I would like to know if the Naturalization Certificate needs to be signed in front of an immigrant officer during the Oath Ceremony. If yes, I'm thinking that should my mom also ask the immigrant officer about the signature on the photo, so that the immigrant officer can witness her signing on her photo?

I have my friend who got a phone call from the immigrant officer after her interview regarding the name change issue. That immigrant officer is the one who interviewed her. Is it normal that the applicants will be called by the immigrant officer after the interview? I rarely heard of it before until my friend told me. Thus, I'm thinking if the photo without being signed, will it be possible for the officer to call us and ask us to go back to sign?

[mallarajesh]

i was aslo not assigned to sign the photo during my interview. Also on the oath cermony, immigrant officer will not say anyhthinh. You have to sign the certifcatre by your own after ceremony. I signed both on the certificate and on photo after my oath. Now I already got my passport too.. Dont worryy much.

[kkm]

Thank you mallarajesh for your information.

When you signed on your certificate and photo, did you sign your name as usual? Or you did print name on both the certificate and photo? Should the name on the certficate and photo need to match the name shown on the certificate?

[mallarajesh]

yes i used the same signature(full name signature) on both certificate and photo.

[kkm]

Name Change

Thank you for mallarajesh 's response.

By the way, as I posted in the previous comments, my friend passed the interview and even got the date of Oath Ceremony few months ago. However, one week before the Oath Ceremony, she got a phone call from the immigrant officer regarding her legal name after the interview. The immigrant officer found out that her name on the green card did not match her birth certificate (The immigrant officer did not question her about this during interview. It's just all of a sudden finding out her record in the system and then called her).

During the interview, my friend did not request a name change. Suppose if we don't change our name, the officer will take our name on green card to be used on the naturalization certificate. However, on the phone call the immigrant officer told my friend that she needs to sign a paper as a legal document in order to prove that her name after being a citizen will be different from the name on her birth certificate. Finally she got this "legal paper" during the Oath Ceremony.

I am curious about the following concerns:
(1) Is it possible for the immigrant officer to call us after the interview?
(2) Let's say we first entered the US and decided to add our husband's last name on top of our maiden name on the green card. If we keep using the green card name on the naturalization certificate, do we need to sign a paperwork to make it "legal" as a name change? (suppose i think that adding husband's last name is not really considered as a "name change". It's very common to do so in the US after we get married).
(3) After adding husband's last name, our name is already different from that's on the birth certificate. We will file petition after becoming a citizen, will the petition be affected because of the name difference?