Can I file as "Married filing jointly", if my wife lives in Australia and she is not a US citizen, nor a permanent resident?

[RichardG]

If, at the end of the year, you are married and one spouse is a U.S. citizen or a resident alien and the other is a nonresident alien, you can choose to treat the nonresident as a U.S. resident.  That allows you and your spouse to file a joint US tax return.  If you make this choice, however, your spouse's income is subject to Federal income tax, even though it was earned abroad.  Please follow this link for more information: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/U.S.-Citizens-and-Resident-Aliens-Abroad---N...

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