It depends -
If you where never a US citizen or resident for all of 2017, then you would only need to file a US nonresident income tax return if you have any US-sourced income (using Form 1040NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return.)
For 2018, if this is your first year in the USA, your US
filing status will be determined by your visa type and if you meet certain IRS
tests - Green Card Test or the substantial presence test .
If you do not meet
these tests for the first year in the USA, you will be considered a nonresident
alien and will file a Form 1040NR which is not supported by TurboTax. Here is a
link to the IRS website for Form
1040NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return. In this situation, you
will only report your US sourced income on your Form 1040NR.
If you are a
Nonresident Alien who will become a Resident Alien under the Substantial
Presence test in the year following this taxable year, you may elect to be
treated as a Dual
Status Alien for this taxable year and a Resident Alien for the next
taxable year if you meet certain tests. Refer to the First Year Choice area,
under Dual-Status Aliens, of Chapter 1 in Publication 519,
U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.
If you meet the Green
Card Test or the substantial
presence test for this year, you will be considered a dual-status
alien. In this situation, you would report only US sourced income before the
date of your residency and all worldwide income after the date of your
residency. (TurboTax does not support dual status filings.)
See this link for
additional information US Tax
Guide for Aliens.
