M-I-L Recent GC (10/08) + Taxes

indoflyer

New Member
My M-I-L is a permanent resident as of Oct 2008. She was in India at that time and returned in December, and we applied for her SS# right when she got back, before the end of the year. She got her SS# in the first week of Jan 2009.

She has been living with us on-and-off since Jan 2006, totalling more than 6 months in both 2006 and 2007. I've heard conflicting reports about whether my wife and I can claim her as a dependent on our returns.

Questions:
- Can we claim her as a dependent for tax year 2008?
- Would it make more sense for us to file her returns separately (1040EZ)? She has no income.
- Can we file amendments for tax years 2006 and 2007 and claim her as a dependent?
- If so, can we use her SS# issued recently at the end of 2008 for filing the amendments for tax years 2006 and 2007?

I certainly appreciate someone who can take the time to clarify the above.

Thanks in advance!
 
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