OPT to H1 status (dual-status?)
Hi,
This question has been asked a few times already, but I want to confirm.
I have been in the US on F-1 since 2003. I was working on OPT from June 2005 to Feb 2006, and on H-1 from Mar 2006 onwards.
Should I file as a resident or dual-status? Based on the previous answers, it seems like I should file as a dual-status, as I pass the substantial presence test.
But reading the IRS publication
Aliens - Residency Beginning and Ending Dates
"If you meet the substantial presence test for a calendar year, your residency starting date is generally the first day you are present in the United States during that calendar year."
Doesn't this mean that my residency start state is January 1, 2007, and I should file as a resident for the whole year?
Thanks!
Saurabh