getting married soon - partner is not a resident

[nanaman95]

I will be getting married soon hopefully before the end of this year, my spouse is not a US resident we are going to start his residency process after our marriage but I might need to file for 2026 before that even gets completed. He does not work, I have been the one supporting us and our kids. My question is, if he does not work and I support him and our kids, do I still need to file as married next year? Do I still need to get him a ITIN number so I can report $0 income from him? 

[DoninGA]

If you are legally married and living together you must file your tax return as either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately.

To file as MFJ your spouse will need an ITIN issued by the IRS - https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-7