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-   -   5 years of presence in US with F-1 (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=20006)

  • Feb 7, 2006, 10:10 AM
    SarhoshAmiral
    5 years of presence in US with F-1
    I am a bit confused about the 5 year rule, here is my situation:

    2000 - I had a F-1 visa and I was in US for 21 days. This is the only time I used that F-1 visa
    2001 - I got another F-1 visa for a different university and I stayed in US for 120 days.
    2002 - 250 days with the F-1 visa from 2001
    2003 - 250 days with the F-1 visa from 2001
    2004 - 250 days with the F-1 visa from 2001
    2005 - 130 days with the F-1 visa from 2001, and I got my H1-B approval on September 9th, 2005 (but I don't have a H-1 visa yet)

    If I exclude F-1's, I don't meed the substial presence test so I was planning to fill as NonResident (I didn't want to use First Year option)

    But since I was in US for 5 years (2000 - 2004), do I count the number of days on F-1 visa in 2005 for presence test as well?

    Thanks
  • Feb 7, 2006, 10:21 AM
    AtlantaTaxExpert
    Yes. The exemption from the Substantial Presence Test that the F-1 visa afforded expired at the end of 2004.

    You should file as a resident alien for 2005.
  • Feb 7, 2006, 10:25 AM
    SarhoshAmiral
    Thanks!

    Just to be sure again, it doesn't matter if I had two different F-1 visas during those 5 years right? (one I used only for 3 weeks and the other since 2001 summer) and if I am filling as resident alien, do I have to fill any other form or just 1040-EZ?

    Also what would have happened if the first visa was B (tourist visa) instead of F-1? My fiancé is in this situation now.

    Thanks
  • Feb 7, 2006, 11:19 AM
    AtlantaTaxExpert
    Even if you were in country under an F-1 visa for only one day, that time "burns" that one year of the five-year exemption.

    The tourist visa does not start the clock on the F-1 exemption. If she had a tourist visa, then returned under a F-1 visa, the clock starts when she arrived in country on the F-1 visa.

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