I have the following code: ----------------------- //My SampleClass Class public class SampleClass { public String Foo(ICollection collection) { SampleClass sampleClass; } } -------------------- 1. I use Rename refactoring for class SampleClass and rename it to SampleClass1. 2. When it shows related symbols, I navigate to the variable location and change its name form sampleClass to myClass. When the refactoring is performed, the variable declaration looks as follows: ------------------------- SampleClass sampleClass1; ------------------------- As you can see, the type is not changed.