I spent a lot of time doing research on this and i just applied for ITIN and they said that it takes about 6-8 weeks. Do your tax return under married filing jointly, which means you do not have any dependent since you are already filing it jointly, unless you have a child. When you file the tax just write APPLIED where it asks for the spouse's social security. Then fill out W-7 form completely. Make a copy of your passport(don't need visa) and notarize it(your bank people can help you on it) and mail the whole package to philadelphia. They will assign you ITIN and then send it to the concerned IRS for your return and you will get the check in the mail. If you are student then you will probably have to fill out the education documnet to get the credit for your tution. Good luck cheers