Hi...

I was in US from 23-Apr-2006 till 16-Dec-2006 ( Around 8 months) on L1-B visa. I declared myself as single. My family joined me on 9'th Sept and was will me till I left.

Can I claim exceptions for my family ( wife and son) when I was on L1? Does VISA status really matters?
Thanks and regards
- manish

Manish:

In my opinion, you need to file as a dual-status alien, as you easily met the Substantial Presence Test but did not end the year as a resident.

You can claim your wife and son as dependents on a dual-status tax return.

In this case, visa does matter, because if you were an F-1 or J-1, you would file as a non-resident alien.