My wife was on H4 last yr and I was on H1B. 2007 we filed jointly with her ITIN. We didn't receive the stimulus rebate last year. This yr she has filed for her F1 and just got it recently. She also will be getting an on-campus employment which means she should be eligible to apply for the SSN. My understanding is once she gets the SSN we would qualify for the $1200 rebate. (I'm definitely under the income limit before which the $600 per person amount start's getting reduced).

I'm not sure if we will get her SSN back before April 15

a) Should I file for an extension right now and then submit the Tax returns once her SSN is in?
b) Should I file right now and then file for an amendment later on to get the rebate?

Any pro's/cons to going either way a) or b) ?

Another question, though not directly related...
Since she's getting employment, should I ask her school to deduct FICA taxes if we want to file jointly as residents next yr? Can she still be considered a resident (we've filed as residents last yr and will again as residents this yr)

Both (a) and (b) are your solutions to get recovery rebate. Only you can figure out which is best for you.

Yes, she must inform the employer that she is resident for tax purposes.

Thanks for the reply. So to confirm, she went on F1, Feb 10 2009 and even if she is on F1 for the whole of 2009 she can still elect to be considered as a resident right? My concern was she would not meet the SPT as days on F1 would not count.

That is correct. If you filed the extension and are waiting for the SSN, you can get the $1,200 Trying to conceive when you file with hew new SSN.