DaveF1006,
Thank you for sharing your expert opinion with me. Our situation is overly difficult, but is shared by hundreds - if not thousands - of fellow Americans with foreign legal partners.
If we never submit a second W-7 for name change to the IRS, I want to believe that when my spouse's visa application concludes AND my spouse physically arrives in the U.S. this year, that by virtue of the immigrant visa reflecting the married name both on the (1) visa (U.S. State Department) and (2) social security card (Social Security Administration), the IRS will automatically accept the name change without our ever performing another IRS administrative action.
The time, effort, and financial costs associated with submitting a valid W-7 while the foreign partner remains abroad is beyond excessive; incurring additional unwanted "services" by a trusted agent is an unwelcomed slap in the face to any law-abiding citizen trying to 'do the right thing.'
Thank you, DaveF1006, again, for your contribution and confirmation. We will submit our application electronically using my spouse's maiden (ITIN) name for 2025.
