I was told by an agency that even though I am an intl student here, i could file my taxes using the Form 1040 rather than 1040 NR since I qualify to apply as a resident under the substantial presence test.I thought students on F1 visa status were exempted from that. I was also told that I did not need to file Form 8843 since I have been here in the US for more than 5 years. Anybody have any idea on these matters?  I did not know that only residents from Mexico, S.Korea, Canada and India could claim an exemptions on their dependents and spouses (as far as int'l students are concerned).