Claiming as dependent on for wife on F-1 visa?

[mavboy]

HI,

Sorry if this has been discussed before...

I am on H-1B visa ...My wife will be on H-4 visa until March after which she will start school for Fall.

I want her to go on F-1 visa.....

Assuming she will not be earning anything (before she gets oncampus jobs , RA/TA) , can I file her as my dependent and claim tax benefits?

Thanks in advance

[txh1b]

A wife can be a dependent for tax purposes irrespective of the immigration status of the person.

A dependent immigration status is not a pre-requisite for claiming a spouse as a dependent on the tax return.